By David Gold

Iran vs_Australia_at_the_AFC_Dream_Asia_Cerebral_Palsy_Tournament_02-04-12April 2 - The Asian seven-a-side cerebral palsy football tournament has kicked off at the Military Sports Centre near the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

The tournament runs until Saturday (April 7), and features teams from six countries – the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, South Korea, Singapore and Australia.

It is run under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Dream Asia programme, which uses football for positive social change.

Mohammed M_Fadel_Al_Hameli_02-04-12"The main goal of this tournament is to involve disabled people in the community and give them a chance to take part in its social activities, through sport in general, but especially football," said AFC Social Responsibility Committee Member Mohammed M Fadel Al Hameli (pictured left).

"This will enable them to assimilate into society with ease, as football is the most popular sport in the world.

"And the Government of the UAE greatly supports this issue as they see that the disabled are an important segment in need of care and guidance in order for them to feel part of society."

Delegations from a number of European and Asian countries are attending the tournament as guests of honour, including FIFA vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan.

An Opening Ceremony proceeded the first day of action in Abu Dhabi, which saw Singapore crush Jordan 10-0, Muhammad Mubarak Mohd Rastam scoring four goals to be named as the game's best player, while Muhammad Ashik Ishak also struck four times.

Muhammad Taufiq Baharin and Khairul Anwar Bin Kasmani both added goals to take the scoreline into double figures.

Iran beat Australia 4-0 with Behnam Sohrabi Bagherabadi grabbing two, while further goals came from Hashem Rastegarimobin and Abdolreza Karimizadeh.

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