We catch up with Man City ambassador Patrick Viera as he prepares to surprise supporters at the new Sky Blue Fan Zone in Zayed Sports City

What are you doing here in Abu Dhabi?

Part of the reason is to promote the Sky Blue membership scheme but the main reason I’m here is to meet some fans and for the first live screening of a game at the Sky Blue Fan Zone . I think it’s important for the club to build ties between the fans both in the UK and here in the UAE. It’s also a way for us to give something back and to say thanks to the fans for their support over the past few years.

What has the response been like so far?

So far, so good. It’s been a great starting point for us and you know it helps that the team has been playing such attractive football and scoring so many goals – people want to watch us play.

How important is it to the club to build their fan base here in the capital?

It’s very, very important because we know that the club is a big part of Abu Dhabi and what we really want as a club is to give the fans a reason to support us and also give them a chance to get close to the team and the players. Me being here is just a small part of that but one of the best things about the Sky Blue club is giving fans here the chance to fly to Manchester, to watch the team train and play – it’s so important to try and build this sort of relationship. I think that sometimes the gap between the fans and the first team is too big, so we’re trying to create to close that gap and really create a kind of family and community feeling.

Can we expect to see the links between Al Jazira and Man City be developed in the future?

Well you never know what the future holds but I don’t see why not. There are the obvious ties with the owner [Sheikh Mansour] but also the people here are so passionate about their football. Everywhere you go you see a lot of fans wearing City shirts and when you speak to them it is clear they really know about football and the club.

What do you think of the quality of football here in the UAE?

Well I haven’t had the chance to watch very much but speaking to friends that I have here like [David] Trezeguet, [Fabio] Cannavaro and [Luis] Jiminez, who arrived just a few months ago, they all say that is harder than they were expecting, the players are a lot better than some people think and the technical standards are improving all the time.

Did you ever consider coming somewhere like the UAE to finish your playing career?

Unfortunately, it wasn’t really an option. I wanted to finish playing well and at the very top. Coming here and not being able to give 100 percent commitment and play my very best just wouldn’t have been acceptable to me. I had some knee problems and back trouble – I’m getting old you know – so it just seemed like the right time to retire.

Do you think we will see Man City come to Abu Dhabi in the summer?

Of course, I think it’s definitely possible. I don’t know what the schedule is yet for the summer but it would be fantastic for all the fans here to see the team up close and it would also be great for all the players to have a few days in such a fantastic location