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WATCH out Arsenal, bitter rivals Manchester United are aiming to open a football academy in Bahrain as the Red Devils look to expand their presence in the Gulf.
The Gunners already have a well-established soccer school in the kingdom near the National Stadium which kicked off for a second year this week with an extended programme of courses to meet growing demand.
Meanwhile, Reem Investments has signed a partnership agreement with Manchester United Soccer Schools to run its programmes exclusively in the UAE for two years and under the terms of the agreement it also has the option to expand into the GCC.
Spokesman James Magee said: "Bahrain has always been a very keen footballing country, and, if it had not been for New Zealand would have made the World Cup Finals, so I would predict this to be one for the near future."
He added that the company could be 'looking for a partner there, sooner than later'.
David Seales, general manager of Manchester United Merchandising Limited, added: "Manchester United has a fantastic following in the Middle East and this exciting new project will provide high-quality coaching programmes for thousands of aspiring footballers in the coming years."
Bahrain already boasts a link with United through new telecom provider Viva, which describes itself as 'a proud sponsor' of the side and offers fans the chance to get closer to their heroes by subscribing to a special SMS service.
They can win 'all expenses paid' tickets to watch a game at Old Trafford as well as receiving text commentary, instant scores, reminders and match updates. United legend Sir Bobby Charlton recently visited the kingdom to help promote the relationship.
Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain has been winning over fans with coaching sessions and competitions and took a party of 64 youngsters to the Emirates Stadium in north London to participate in an international football festival during the summer holidays.
Abdul Wahed Al Kooheji, its chairman, said: "Arsenal Soccer Schools would welcome Man Utd Soccer Schools if they chose to come to Bahrain. We have found Bahrain to be a great place to coach football as the young people here have a passion and a talent for the game.
"Having established ourselves on the island over the last year, we have a loyal and growing base of young players who play on the best surface available and have recently seen the introduction of floodlights and will shortly see construction begin on a clubhouse.
"We also have a great working relationship with the Bahrain Football Association, helping the young people of the country achieve their full potential.
"The arrival of Man Utd would provide healthy competition. We would enjoy competing against them, as I am sure that the games would be fantastic - maybe The Boss (Arsene Wenger) and Sir Alex could come over to coach the teams - that would be interesting!
"The world knows that Arsenal develops young players and have a terrific worldwide reputation for giving youth a chance. Our plan for Bahrain is long-term and we are confident that we will be working with the young people, clubs and BFA for many years to come, with or without competition!"
Although games between the two have always been competitive, the origins of a bitter feud between the two clubs can be said to stem from a clash that took place in 1987 after Brian McClair missed a dubiously-awarded penalty and Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn felt the need to let him know how they felt.
This was a precursor to the real fireworks in 1990 after Arsenal defender Winterburn got stuck in with a challenge on United's Denis Irwin. It sparked a 21-man brawl and saw United docked a point and Arsenal two.
Despite various smaller clashes since then, it was 13 years later that these scenes were replicated after United's Ruud Van Nistelrooy was a touch overzealous in an aerial challenge with Arsenal's Patrick Vieira. The French man took umbrage, kicking out at the striker leaving the referee no choice but to send Vieira off, who attempted to get at the player he felt had got him red-carded. It kicked off a mini-brawl but this was nothing compared to what would follow.
United were awarded a late penalty and Van Nistelrooy, who was normally deadly from the spot, missed the chance as his penalty cannoned off the crossbar. Cue Arsenal's Martin Keown delivering a flying clothesline that would not have been out of place in a wrestling ring and for a couple of minutes the game descended into madness as the two teams again staged a battle on the turf of Old Trafford.
The ugly scenes saw Arsenal charged with failing to control their players while several stars faced individual charges.
A year later the rivalry carried on as United ended Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory in a game full of flare-ups all over the pitch. This was only the start of the drama as in the tunnel an unidentified Arsenal player reportedly threw soup over Sir Alex. The scuffle which carried on for a while also saw a member of Arsenal's backroom staff left with a bloody nose.
