King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain has opened the 21st GCC Football Cup this evening at the Bahrain National Stadium in the presence of Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Makkah Region, and Prince Nawaf bin Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz General President of Youth Welfare. “In the name of Allah Almighty we declare the 21st Gulf Football Cup tournament open", Bahrain's King said, wishing all the participating teams success and fortune. President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Joseph S. Blatter; President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Michel François Platini and a number of political and sports figures as well as heads of federations of participating football teams also attended the opening ceremony. At the end of the opening ceremony, King Hamad honored Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Makkah by awarding him the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Khalifa as the owner of the idea of launching the first Gulf Cup in 1970.