Category: Sports

Doha: Director of the Health and Safety Department of the Local Organizing Committee of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Eng. Abdullah Al Bishri said that the legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 had a significant role in establishing health and safety rules in all tournaments hosted by the State of Qatar.

Speaking to QNA Al Bishri added that with the tournament reaching the knockout rounds, no serious health and safety incidents were recorded, and this is evidence of the keenness on implementing health and safety standards and the lessons learned from the 2022 World Cup, which contributed to unifying the application of safety standards in all sporting events and major events organized by Qatar.

He explained that the tasks of the Health and Safety Department in the tournament are based on many aspects, primarily evacuation plans, work permits, periodic inspection and auditing, risk assessment, joint inspection with the Civil Defense Department and the ambulance service before each match, and conducting a
joint evacuation exercise with the security committee.

The Director of the Health and Safety Department at the organizing committee indicated that coordination had been made with the Asian Football Confederation regarding health and safety standards, and that tournament staff were trained on how to report health and safety incidents.

He pointed out that all health and safety plans and standards as well as evacuation plans were presented to AFC officials through coordination meetings that preceded the tournament kick off.

No compromise on health and safety standards, whether in the groups or the knockout stages Al Bishri stressed, adding that health and safety procedures are strictly applied at every stage of the tournament.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Qatar SC coach Yousef Al Noubi, and Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 22 match, scheduled for Sunday.

Coach Al Noubi said “Victory over Muaither in the last round was necessary in order to ensure that Qatar SC remain in the league championship and avoid any calculations related to relegation to the Second Division. I praise all efforts made by everyone in Qatar SC in order to push the team towards achieving that victory.” “The situation before the Muaither match was difficult, but Qatar SC succeeded in dealing with the match in the required manner and achieved a well-deserved victory. We look forward to continue the victories until we finish the league well,” he added.

“We are suffering from significant absences before this match. We will miss the efforts of Bruno Tabata and Raul Sanda, but the position of Martinez and Sebastian Soria is still undetermined… We are waiting for our fans’ presence to support us in this match,” s
aid Al Noubi.

For his part, Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier said: “It is the last match of the season for the league in which we gave a very average performance. We were supposed to show a better performance and act more cohesively. I noticed that we made the same mistakes during our previous match that we had been making in the last few rounds. Although I was optimistic about the improvement that occurred in our team in the offensive and defensive aspects, the repetition of previous mistakes was frustrating.” “We failed to provide an appropriate performance, especially in the defensive aspect and lack of effectiveness, which cost us dearly as we played with only 10 players against eleven,” he added.

“I hope that in the next match against Qatar SC, we will regain the spirit that we have become accustomed to in previous victories, with a strong commitment to a quick return to regain the ball and exert a collective effort,” said Galtier.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Al Arabi coach Younes Ali and Muaither coach Jorge Da Silva spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 22 match slated for Sunday.

“We are seeking a strong appearance that will enable us to achieve the required result against Muaither at the end of the team’s league campaign next Sunday at Al Thumama Stadium,” coach Younes Ali said.

“We respect the ambitions of the competing team, which aspires to achieve three points in order to escape relegation, and all the players are determined to make a strong appearance and a distinguished conclusion for the team in the league journey this season,” he added.

“There are some injuries in the team and we hope they will return as soon as possible… I am sad about the team’s loss in the last two rounds and the loss of points in these matches. The players lacked the desire and ferocity in attack after winning the Qatar-UAE Super Cup. I spoke to them and asked them to double their efforts during the coming period and restore their grea
t desire for the Amir Cup,” said Younes.

For his part, Muaither coach Jorge Da Silva said: “I am very sad about the loss in the last match against Qatar SC. The loss is not in our favour and complicated our position and placed the team in last place in the rankings, but I will not talk much about the match and we have an opportunity and a fateful match against Al Arabi” “We respect Al Arabi and the match against them will be very difficult, and there is no alternative to achieving three points. We will make every effort in this important match and I hope that the players will be at their peak, unlike in the previous matches we played,” he added.

“We feel sad because we are in last place because this position is not that of Muaither and we are preparing at a high pace for the Al Arabi match and we must make every effort until the last breath to achieve victory, and our goal is to remain in the First Division,” he said.

“I hope everyone will support the team in this crucial stage and I also urge the fans to
be present at the stadium and support the team with all their strength because their presence constitutes a strong motivation for the players on the field,” said D Silva.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Al Markhiya coach Bougherra and his opponent Umm Salal coach Patrice Carteron spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 22 match slated for Sunday.

Al Markhiya coach Bougherra said “We must continue fighting until the end and obtain points from the next match against Umm Salal in the 22nd and final week of Expo Stars League, or come out with a point at the very least, to maintain the position.” He added “The match with Umm Salal is no less important than previous games, and we must deal with it as a final, but without greater pressure than the pressure that the team faced in its recent matches.” “We know that Umm Salal won in the previous round and they had a very good season, but now it is our turn to finish the hard work that we did during all the past months in which we endured hardships, and we must endure more so that we do not regret this match. We must continue to act with the same mentality that characterized the team in previous rounds, in order to obtain the re
sult of this match,” said Bougherra.

For his part Umm Salal coach Patrice Carteron said “We enter the Al Markhiya match with strength, looking forward to ending the season with a win and advanced position in the standings.” “I am happy with the strong performance provided by the players, regaining victories and achieving wins over Al Arabi and Al Duhail, and the fighting spirit they display. We are able to continue those victories and win over Al Markhiya in the final round of league,” he added.

“Umm Salal have done a lot this season and our goal is to end the season with a win to advance to a better position. It is definitely an important and strong match,” said Carteron.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins, and Al Shamal coach Poya Asbaghi spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 22 match, slated for Sunday.

“The positive thing is that there are no injuries and that all players are in good condition,” coach Pedro Martins said.

“Al Shamal showed a very good level this season. For our part, we seek to finish the competition in second place and we know that we have no choice but to win the three points. We must focus on our performance only in this match and do our duty to the fullest against a very organized team that has good players and is under a good coach.” he added.

“Of course, it will be a difficult game and we must focus on our match only and provide what is required of us without looking at any other results because we do not have control over the results of the other matches or their course. What we do have is control over the match we are playing and we must achieve victory in the Al Shamal match and wait for what the results of t
he other matches will bring,” said Martins.

For his part, coach Poya Asbaghi said: “A very difficult match awaits us against a good team that has players at the highest level and they will fight and do everything to win to try to get second place.” He added: “We realize that the match will be difficult, but we will do our best and we will play in order to achieve victory, get three points, and end the season in a distinguished manner, and in the best possible position in the league table.” “There was not much time after the last Al Sadd match in the 21st round. The gap was only three days during which the technical staff tried to prepare for the Al Gharafa match after a quick recovery process,” said Asbaghi.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: The media preparations for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 are working perfectly, said HE Media Director of the Local Organizing Committee Sheikh Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani.

Speaking with Qatar News Agency , His Excellency added that the local organizing committee held regular meetings ahead of the kick-off of the sixth edition of the tournament to welcome around 500 media professionals accompanying the participating teams. The media delegations received their permits under a coordination between the organizing committee and the AFC.

Hosts Qatar will kick off the quarter-finals on Thursday against 2016 winners Japan, with the hosts eyeing their first trophy. The top three sides will qualify to the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 while the fourth-placed team will play an AFC-CAF play-off against guinea on May 9.

HE Sheikh Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani said that Asian media agencies were keen to cover the prestigious event given Qatar’s thriving record of hosting and the top-notch facilities that st
reamline the media covering. He highlighted the huge experiences Qatari cadres had acquired from the hosting of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 and other sports events.

Highlighting the enormous World Cup Qatar 2022 legacy, His Excellency said that the full-ready World Cup stadiums and all logistical aspects would contribute to producing a high-quality event.

He hailed the great efforts of the local media as an essential partner in the success of any sports championship staged in Qatar.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan advanced to the AFC Champions League final for the first time after beating Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai FC 5-4 on penalties in the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday following a 3-3 draw on aggregate.

A pulsating first half at Yokohama International Stadium saw Asahi Uenaka’s double and a goal from Anderson Lopes put the Japanese side 3-1 up on aggregate, the AFC website reported.

However, a Matheus Sales header and a penalty from Darijan Bojanic brought the aggregate scoreline level at the interval as the hosts were also reduced to 10 men after Takumi Kamijima was dismissed.

With no further goals in the second half or extra time, the tie went to penalties where Eduardo struck the winning spot-kick after Yokohama goalkeeper William Popp had saved from Kim Min-woo as Yokohama booked a date with the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain FC in next month’s final.

Yokohama made three changes from the side that started the 1-0 defeat in Korea last week, with the big news being the return f
rom injury of Brazilian winger Elber, while Matheus Sales for Ko Seung-beom was the only change made by Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo.

The game kicked off in heavy rain with the hosts on the front foot from the start as Yan Matheus cut inside from the right and curled wide of the far post inside five minutes.

And the pressure told when the opening goal arrived in the 13th minute. Nam Tae-hee miscontrolled a Yan Matheus pass from the right but, after a mix up in the Ulsan defence, Uenaka pounced onto the loose ball before coolly finishing into the bottom right corner.

Harry Kewell’s side kept pushing forward and Lopes called Jo Hyeon-woo into action when his fizzing shot from distance forced the Ulsan goalkeeper to get down low to his left and push wide.

The second goal arrived in the 21st minute following more good work from Yan Matheus, who threaded the ball to Lopes on the edge of the area and the Brazilian took one touch with his right foot before firing low and hard into the bottom left corner to dou
ble his side’s advantage.

Incredibly, the hosts went three up in the 30th minute when Ulsan lost possession in their own half, allowing Nam to find Uenaka who spun away from his marker and planted a delightful effort from 20 yards into the top-left corner.

But just as it appeared like the J1 League side were going to cruise into the final, Ulsan gave themselves hope in the 35th minute when Matheus Sales headed Lee Dong-gyeong’s inswinging corner from the right into the back of the net.

The visitors then drew level on aggregate three minutes before the interval when Um Won-sang raced into the area and when he attempted to cut inside Kamijima, the ball struck the sliding defender’s arm and the referee pointed to the spot before showing the Marinos man red.

Substitute Bojanic, who was introduced just before the first goal, made no mistake from the spot, sending goalkeeper Popp the wrong way to make it 3-2 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate.

In an action-packed opening 45 minutes, there was still time for Lee
to rattle the crossbar before half-time with the tide having completely turned and Ulsan dominating.

Bojanic thought he had added a second soon after the restart only for the goal to be ruled out following a VAR review as Gustav Ludwigson, in an offside position, was adjudged to have obstructed the view of Popp.

A lovely give-and-go between Lee and Bojanic then set the former free in the box, but Popp was up to the challenge to push wide for a corner.

Yokohama were next to have a goal ruled out when Yan Matheus was flagged offside after heading Katsuya Nagato’s chipped cross into the back of the net shortly after the hour.

Ludwigson should have netted Ulsan’s third with six minutes remaining but headed wide from just a few yards out after being teed up by substitute Martin Adam, before Adam fired wide from distance soon after as the visitors sought to avoid an additional 30 minutes.

Bojanic was inches away from scoring with three minutes remaining as he connected with Ludwigson’s centre only to see his e
ffort rebound back off the post as Yokohama continued to survive.

With the game into the second period of extra time, Yokohama substitute Kota Mizunuma called Jo into action with a low drive which the Korean custodian did well to push wide.

Ulsan’s Kim then had another goal ruled out for offside with five minutes remaining as the game went to penalties.

After both sides scored their first four spot-kicks, Popp saved from Kim allowing Eduardo to step up and score the winning penalty as Yokohama advanced to their first final following an AFC Champions League classic.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) announced on Wednesday the preparations for the Qatar Cup 2024.

This came during a press conference held at QSL’s headquarters in Al Bidda Tower in the presence of Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Communication at QSL Hassan Rabiah Al Kuwari, and Director of Competitions Department at QSL Ahmed Salman Al Adsani, in addition to representatives of media outlets.

Al Kuwari said: “The QSL attaches great importance to this prestigious tournament through arrangements in cooperation with all parties concerned, partners and competing clubs, in order to organize it in a distinctive manner at the technical and organizational levels.” He stated that the semifinals would be held at the Khalifa International Stadium and Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on May 1, and the final would be at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium of Al Duhail Club on May 4.

The semi-final teams and other details will be decided later, after the end of the league championship. He pointed out that all partners wer
e working hand in hand despite the time constraints and were ready for all scenarios.

“We’ve begun the promotion, marketing and publicity campaigns for the tournament in addition to the Trophy Tour stops at the headquarters of sponsoring companies as per specific schedule. The tour will include visits to the clubs competing in the tournament and a number of different locations”, Al Kuwari said.

Regarding match tickets, he confirmed that tickets for the semi-finals would be up for sale immediately after the end of the final round of the league championship and there would be complete coordination with the clubs in view of the expected large crowd turnout.

The match program also includes the organization of a number of different events, and this is also a new opportunity for the fans to come to the stadiums and support their teams, in addition to winning valuable prizes on the sidelines of the final match, the details of which will be announced later.

Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Communication
at QSL concluded his statements by saying “I hope that well succeed in presenting a distinguished tournament at all technical and organizational levels. I also extend my thanks and appreciation to the sponsors, partners, supporters and media outlets.” On his part, Al Adsani said: “We emphasize that our preparations are continuing at all levels in order for the tournament to emerge in a distinguished manner and there is coordination with the clubs and all parties concerned.” He pointed out that the competitions will be held at three stadiums and inspection tours of the stadiums have been held.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: April 23 – Uzbekistan defeated Vietnam 3-0 in the last game of Group D of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday.

With this win, the 2018 champions will play Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals on Friday while Vietnam, who also advanced despite the defeat, will meet Iraq.

The top three finishers directly qualify to the Summer Olympic Games (Paris 2024), while the fourth-placed side will play an AFC-CAF play-off match against Guinea, on May 9.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Dubai, April 23 – The official opening ceremony of the 1st GCC Youth Games UAE 2024 was held Tuesday evening at the Dubai Opera.

Held until May 2 under the theme, “Our Gulf is One… Our Youth are Promising”, the inaugural GCC Youth Games features the participation of 3,500 male and female athletes competing in 24 sports.

The opening ceremony was attended by HE Second Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari, HE Secretary General of the QOC Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain and HE Director of the Sport Sector at the QOC Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani, in addition to the Qatari delegation participating in the GCC Youth Games UAE 2024.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Umm Salal upstaged defeated Al Duhail 2-0 in Week 21 of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium of Al Gharafa club on Wednesday.

Lucas Joao scored a brace in the 48th and 90th minutes for Umm Salal. Reigning champions Al Duhail were hit hard when two of their players received red cards Almoez Ali (after a second yellow card in the 45th minute) and Mohammed Musa in the 87th minute.

Th league’s official website said that, each time The Red Knights were reprimanded, The Orange Fortress gained advantage and scored, thereby spoiling Al Duhails hopes.

The result saw Umm Salal take their own tally to 27 points, while Al Duhail, suffering their ninth loss of the season, remained on 28 points.

The opening goal for Umm Salal was realized as a miss-pass of Al Duhail was intercepted by Victor Lekhal, who then sent the ball to his right for Joao to essay a strong left-foot strike which hit the outstretched right hand of goalkeeper Shehab Ellethy before going in. Joao then returned
into the thick of action just before end of normal time scoring his and the teams second goal.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Al Markhiya battled from being a goal down to defeat Al Arabi 2-1 in their crucial Week 21 clash of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday.

Star striker Yusupha Njie (41st minute) and Talal Ali (87th minute) scored for Al Markhiya after Omar Al Somah (seventh-minute penalty) had provided Al Arabi the lead.

Their fifth win of the season saw Al Markhiya elevate themselves to 17 points after being bottom-placed all through, while Al Arabi, after seventh loss of the season, remained on 26 points.

Al Markhiya faced an uphill battle soon after the start as a VAR for a defensive tackle foul saw them being handed a penalty, with Al Somah making the strike for The Dream Team.

Al Markhiya, however, held their nerves and rose to the occasion as their Gambian professional Njie beautifully beat two defenders and the goalkeeper in front of the goal to fetch the equalizer.

With the scores levelled at 1-1, both sides battled hard and held on tight in their defence for long. I
n the 65th minute, two Al Markhiya players rushed into the box to get hold of a long ball, but Al Arabi’s Helal Mohammed did well to push the ball towards the goalkeeper and safety.

It was only late in the second session that Al Markhiya got the winner and in an exciting way. As a long and powerful drive from about yards outside the box by Driss Fettouhi spilled out of Al Arabi goalkeeper Jassim Al Hail’s hands, Talal Ali rushed in to gain control and put the ball back into the net.

The goal sent Al Markhiya’s players and fans into a frenzy alike.

Al Markhiya and the now bottom-placed Muaither, who lost 3-5 to Qatar SC, have been in a battle to avoid relegation and the former will seek to rise further in the final Week 22 when Al Markhiya will meet Umm Salal, and Muaither will battle Al Arabi.

Source: Qatar News Agency