Dubai Sports Council (DSC) convened a workshop for the Executive Directors of Dubai clubs and football companies and Managers and Technical Directors of academies to discuss the best professional practices for scouting and developing talents from the age of eight years old, through reviewing the distinctive experiences of Barcelona Club Academy and the mechanism of work, which has attained remarkable success and become a global model.

Saeed Hareb, Secretary-General of DSC, and Naser Aman Al-Rahma, Assistant Secretary-General of DSC, welcomed Sergei Barjuan, Sports Manager of Barcelona Academies around the world and former star of Barcelona Club and the Spanish National Team, and Representatives of Barcelona. Hareb confirmed DSC’s keenness to review successful professional experiences for the most eminent sports clubs and academies in the world and to provide opportunities for the staff of Dubai sports clubs and academies to benefit from these experiences in a way that contributes to achieving a successful model, which meets the promising goals of our football clubs and academies.

Barjuan reviewed the successful experience of Barcelona Academy and the mechanisms of scouting for and developing technical levels of talented players from an early age and up to the moment they become competent to represent the first team.

He conveyed his own experience as a former player and member of the technical body of Barcelona Club and then as a manager for all branches of Barcelona Academies around the world.

He answered questions, raised during the workshop, and provided valuable advice related to this vital field, which contributes to the ideal investment of human resources in clubs and football companies. In conclusion, Sergei Barjuan dedicated Barcelona Football Academy’s Book, under the title “La Masia”, to Saeed Hareb.

The meeting dealt with the fields of future cooperation between DSC and Barcelona Club to launch fruitful programmes and initiatives to scout and develop talented players and coaches and to benefit from the technical organisation of Barcelona Academy.

DSC is keen to organise such forums and workshops continuously throughout the year to achieve the best practices in academies management, scout and boost talents, promote world academies residing in Dubai and seek scopes of collaboration with academies of Dubai clubs.

Sergei Barjuan assumes the Office of the Sports Manager of Barcelona Academies around the world. He is also responsible for conveying the coaching methods to coaches in all of Barcelona’s Academies in the world. He presented excellent performances when he was a player with Barcelona and a coach for the reserve team of the Club. He also coached the first team of Barcelona Club in 3 matches, after the Dutch coach Koeman.

Meanwhile, football in South Korea dates back to 1882, more than 140 years ago, and the first professional football league championship in the country was launched in 1983,which a beginning towards a golden march of the game.

In just four decades, football in South Korea has succeeded in leaving a great imprint on the Asian and international arenas with various Korean clubs and teams.

South Korea’s best ever result was the fourth place at the 2002 World Cup, a jewel in the crown of Korean football, after the Asian Cup title Korea won a decade before.