Emirates Palace served as the venue of choice for Al Maskari Holding and Eintracht Frankfurt’s annual gala dinner, a platform for the organizations to lend its support to the strategy undertaken by Abu Dhabi, and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, which aims to attract world-class sport events to the capital.

The highly-anticipated event saw the presence and participation of the German professional football league Bundesliga and world-favourite sports club Eintracht Frankfurt to promote German football in the UAE, and to talk about their international strategy to over 130 high-ranking representatives of the business community, political leaders, and a media delegation from the region. In addition, Al Maskari Holding announced that it had entered a partnership with Eintracht Frankfurt to support sports development in the region.

Representing Eintracht Frankfurt were Bundesliga record player Karl-Heinz ‘Charly’ Körbel, tallying 602 league appearances for the club as well as former Eintracht players Uwe Bein and Ervin Skela. International star Lothar Matthäus, former FIFA World Player of the Year and current Bundesliga legend, was on hand to represent Bundesliga.

Axel Hellmann, Member of the Executive Board of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, said, “We are in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year for the sixth consecutive time and we have already established some sustainable and significant partnerships. This year, our visit is very special as together with Bundesliga International we are presenting Germany's record international player Lothar Matthäus and Bundesliga record player Karl-Heinz "Charly" Körbel on the podium for the very first time. It’s a record-breaking meeting of two exceptional German football stars in the United Arab Emirates.”

Robert Klein, the CEO of Bundesliga International GmbH stated: “It is a great pleasure for us to bring strong ambassadors of the German Bundesliga on the international stage: the traditional football club Eintracht Frankfurt with Bundesliga record player Karl-Heinz ‘Charly’ Körbel and the record national player and Bundesliga legend Lothar Matthäus. Additionally, we are proud to present the German Championship Trophy, the so called “Meisterschale”, in the United Arab Emirates.”

Preceding the gala dinner was a press conference that saw the attendance of Hellmann, Körbel, Klein and Matthäus including the Championship trophy from Bundesliga, ‘die Meisterschale’, which features engravings of all German champions and is recognized as the most significant symbol of football competition in Germany’s top flight.

Commenting on the event, Martin Cramer, the General Manager of Emirates Palace, said: “Emirates Palace is excited and proud to be associated with this event. I commend the efforts of Al Maskari Holding and the leadership’s vision to establish Abu Dhabi as a global hub for sports and world-class sport events”.

“Al Maskari Holding has been an exceptional partner and we are honoured to begin the year hosting such a prestigious event of this calibre. Guests experienced the essence of Middle Eastern luxury in the magical setting of Abu Dhabi. Unrivalled views, a sultry ambience, and unprecedented hospitality were only a few characteristics of the evening and it was our pleasure to showcase the best that Abu Dhabi has to offer to our esteemed attendees,” concluded Kramer.