The 11th Dubai International Sports Conference, which came to a close on Wednesday, stressed the importance of inducing professionalism in governance to achieve success and attract more investment.

Organised by the Dubai Sports Council and sponsored by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Council, the conference motto was "Governance in modern football."

It was attended by a number of leaders and decision makers affiliated with major football clubs and unions, in addition to many well-known players and coaches.

During the closing ceremony, participants stressed the importance of enforcing professionalism in governance and enhancing awareness about the benefits that can accrue from good governance practices. These, they said, can be important factors to attract greater investments.

The conference called for efficient and effective systems of managing human and financial resources and achieving self-reliance and financial prudence in sports institutions.

The conference also encouraged the formulation of procedures designed to ensure that all applicable rules and concepts of good governance are followed in the sports sector to promote integrity, transparency, accountability, justice and a sense of equality.

The conference also urged the sports institutions to establish effective mechanisms to encourage innovation in sports. It further called for increasing state support for football companies by the end of 2021.

The two-day sports gathering discussed topics of major concern to the popular game including the importance of governance to attain success in professional clubs, governance of national associations, factors of success for professional players, governance and Video Assistant Referees System, VAR, and the coaches’ vital role to boost the culture of integrity in football.

source:WAM