The inaugural Ambassadors' Cup of Nations kicked off successfully at ZAK Football Ground, Bausher, on 3 November 2018, which saw the strong participation of 10 teams made up of players from Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Malaysia, Oman, Serbia, and Thailand. Pakistan emerged champion beating Bahrain on penalties in a pulsating final. India was the second runner-up.
2. The Challenge Trophy was presented by H.E. Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Sultanate of Oman, to Mr. Hamza Abdul Naeem, Captain of the Pakistani team. An encased football plaque was also awarded to the champion team by Mr. Faraz Hussain, Managing Director Oman & UAE of Bullseye Marketing and Promotion LLC. H.E. Jumaa bin Ahmed Al Kaabi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Sultanate of Oman, and H.E. Sulaini bin Said, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the Sultanate of Oman, presented the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
3. Mr. Hamza Abdul Naeem also won the Best Player Award with the Best Goalkeeper Award going to Mr. Nikola Savic from Team Serbia. Mr. Ayman Abdullah Al Kharousi from Team Bahrain was the top scorer of the tournament.
4. The Ambassadors' Cup of Nations 2018, which was initiated by the Malaysian community and the Embassy of Malaysia in Muscat, has garnered strong support from a number of diplomatic missions here including those from ASEAN countries in Muscat (namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand), as well as that from the expat and local community. It is hoped that the second edition next year will see many more teams participating.
5. This inaugural event was organised with sponsorship and partnership with Café Malaysia Oman, Number9, Alpha Movement Specialist, Bullseye, SunTop, ZACH Football Ground, Palayok, D’flower, BarBQ Tonight and Premier Oman.
