Ahdaaf Sports Club have been crowned inaugural champions of the gruelling Chevrolet Michel Salgado 24 Hour Football Tournament after heading off the spirited challenge of Umai.

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The event at Dubai Sport City saw more than 300 players in 24 teams compete for glory from Thursday 20:00 to Friday 21:30, with Real Madrid legend Michel Salgado on hand to offer expert advice.

The competition was the first of its kind in the UAE, testing both the ability and endurance of the 14-man squads to breaking point.

Ahdaaf managed to emerge victorious in the seven-a-side competition at The Dome, collecting Dh20,000 in prize money for conquering the ‘Win or Die’ challenge.

“It is a special event,” said Chevrolet Regional Brand Ambassador Salgado, the tough-tackling defender who spent a trophy-filled decade at the Bernabeu.

“I wanted to do something new in Dubai, with a special feeling for me.

“We used to play big tournaments when I was young in Spain. The tournament is about playing everywhere, expressing yourself and showing what we can bring to the community in Dubai.

“It is not a normal tournament, I wanted to make it something really different in the Middle East. The experience and experiment is really good. I am really proud of it.”

The competition was designed as a means to promote involvement and sportsmanship in the UAE. Salgado, 39, was proud of what he and Chevrolet had achieved.

He said: “I have so many things to say about it. The main thing is that I have been working together with Chevrolet for the last year and I feel we speak the same language about football and life.

“Football means a lot, it is education for the kids through the values of sport. For teenagers, it gives hope and a way out from really bad things.

“Football is about suffering, smiling, celebrating and crying. It is about emotions.

“Those emotions are something myself and Chevrolet want to share with the people, all the fans and the millions of people who play football everywhere at anytime.”