Marcel Van Buuren (centre), coach of Qatar Olympic team speaking to journalists during a press conference in Doha, yesterday, ahead of the Qatar International Friendly tournament which begins today. Ali Al Salat (left), Media Coordinator at Qatar Football Federation, and Hamad Al Obaidi, captain of Qatar team are also seen.Photo by: Kammutty VP
DOHA: The 11th International Friendly Tournament will begin from today the Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced here yesterday.
Addressing a press conference on the eve of the tournament, the organisers informed that four teams namely hosts Qatar, Morocco, Turkey and Iran will be taking part in the tournament.
All the matches of the tournament will take place at Grand Hamad Stadium of Al Arabi Sports Club.
The tournament will follow a round-robin schedule in which each team meets all other teams in turn.
Kick-starting the tournament today will be the match between Morocco vs Iran, followed by Qatar vs Turkey. On March 23, Iran will take on Qatar and Turkey will play against Morocco. The tournament will conclude on March 25 with Qatar competing against Morocco and Iran against Turkey.
“The tournament organised for the U-23 teams is an excellent opportunity for the teams to showcase their talent and sportsmanship, making them the ideal role model for the youth of Doha,” said Hamad Saleh Al Mannai, Chairman of the organising committee.
“The winning team will get $50,000, besides there are four different awards: Best Player Award, Best Goalkeeper Award, Best Team, and Top Scorer,” he added.
Khalid Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications, QFA said: “We are very pleased to organize and promote the tournament once again to allow the U-23 teams to exhibit their skills This is another testimony for QFA to demonstrate our commitment to developing the skills of the young football stars locally and regionally.”
“Fans can enter the stadium for free as QFA has decided not to charge fans for tickets,” the QFA official said.
“We are expecting Iranian, the Moroccan and Turkish communities to come and support their Olympic squads,” he added.
Coached by Dutchman Marcel Van Buuren, the Qatar Olympic squad is currently busy with extensive training programme ahead of the tournament. Backroom staff involving coach Van Burren, Joseph Adam, Hassan Ibraheem and Mohammed Zayed are busy dealing with player training. The squad is undergoing physical fitness tests and training drills every day.
Qatar Squad: Abdul Aziz Ansari, Yahya Saleh Bader, Musab Kamal, Muhannad Naeem, Hilal Mohammed, Abdul Rahman Al Nasser, Hisham Kamal, Ahmed Saleh, Abdulla Maarfee, Younis Yaqoob, Ahmed Fathi, Ahmed Yousef, Nasser Khalfan, Mohammed Khalifa Al Kuwari, Abdul Ghani Munir, Ali Ahmed Qadri, Fahd Younis, Mohamed Shaaban, Ahmed Fadel, Saud Al Khater, Hamad Al Obeidi, Abdullah Alawi, Mohammed Saleh, Ahmed Alaa, Mohamed Alaa Abdel Megid, Sayyaf Karbi and Saeed Al Haj.the peninsula
