According to the report, Jordi Roura, 59, began work as Al Jazira's academy technical director on 1 October. Spanish assistant Alex Garcia joined him.
The available independent search results did not confirm Roura's appointment. The only relevant result was a Sports Mole transfer-news page, which contained no verified details about him.
Experience across Barcelona's first team and academy
Roura came through Barcelona's La Masia academy as a player. He joined Pep Guardiola's first-team coaching staff in 2009.
As an assistant to Tito Vilanova, Roura was part of the staff for Barcelona's 25 November 2012 match against Levante. For the first time in the club's history, every player in the starting line-up had come through La Masia. The team included Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi.
The search results provided no independent details about Roura's start date, contract, responsibilities or the academy's structure, and did not verify Alex Garcia's reported appointment. No statements about the move from Al Jazira, Barcelona, Roura or Garcia were found in the available results.
His experience connects directly to Al Jazira's stated aim: link academy development with the demands of the first team.
A development brief built around continuity
In 2014, Roura became director of football for Barcelona's youth teams. He held a leadership role in the academy until 2021.
During those years, Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal joined La Masia. Alejandro Balde, Marc Cucurella and Xavi Simons progressed through its teams.
At Al Jazira, Roura will work with academy coaches and staff, advise the coaching group and share knowledge with existing personnel. Garcia has coached Barcelona youth teams and Catalonia's under-18 side. He has also worked with Dinamo Tbilisi and Sabadell, and held assistant roles at Las Palmas and Sevilla.
Al Jazira's academy has supplied players to the first team and national teams since 2004. They include Ali Mabkhout, the UAE national team's all-time leading scorer. The club's name has also appeared in a recent basketball report. Roura's remit, though, is the football academy and its pathway to the first team.
Long-term impact will be measured in graduates
Al Jazira Group chief executive Tareq Mohammed Al Mehairi called the academy a cornerstone of the club's future. He described Roura's appointment as a long-term investment in its players. Al Mehairi said the impact should be judged over the years by the players who reach the first team and national teams.
Roura said he respected the work already done by the academy's coaches and staff. He looked forward to helping young players take their next steps.
The brief is clear. Connect coaching across age groups, sharpen individual plans and prepare academy players for senior football. The Barcelona résumé is only part of the picture. Success will depend on whether Al Jazira's own graduates make that journey.
