Etisalat, the Emirati telecommunications company, has followed Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak's Mubadala Development Company, which owns five per cent of the Ferrari Formula One team,into supporting soccer in the UAE by sponsoring the sixth and seventh editions of the Fifa Club World Cup, to be held in Abu Dhabi in December this year and again in 2010.

The company recently signed a four-year international partnership agreement with FC Barcelona, who will compete in this year's competition. Etisalat has also sponsored the UAE football league since 2005.

• Manchester City chairman backing UAE's young soccer talent
• Barcelona to visit Middle East after landing lucrative new deal

"Etisalat has been a strong supporter and an endorser of the game of football for a long time, and is delighted to be associated with Fifa," said Nasir bin Obood, chief corporate affairs officer at Etisalat. "Since our sponsorship of the Etisalat Football League in 2005, Etisalat has been an active supporter of the game, vigorously contributing to nurture and develop the national football talent.

"Through our multiple sponsorship activities, we aim to support this popular sport at local, national and international levels. Our commitment towards creating a robust national team saw realisation, when the UAE national team won the Gulf Cup last year and the under-18 team won the Gulf Cup sixth edition yesterday, bringing joy and glory to our country."