Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:31:00 AM
Egypt's national football team will travel to Qatar this weekend where they will set up their training camp after the Pharaohs’ scheduled friendly games were cancelled in the wake of the 1 February Port Said tragedy.
The seven-time African champions, who are currently preparing for 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifiers under American coach Bob Bradley, were supposed to play Uganda on 23 February, three days before meeting Guinea. They are also slated to take on Niger on the last day of the month.
Doha is also the hosting venue for national Iraqi teams after FIFA’s decision to move their home matched to neutral grounds four months ago.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:22:00 AM
Grassroots and youth football coaches have gone hi-tech when they began S2S, an online coaching and training programme, at the AFC U-14 boys’ Festival of Football in the Qatari capital on Sunday.
Instructor form Norway Tor Ahlgren taught the S2S (Secrets to Success) Course at the Aspire Academy for the coaches whose teams from the West region of AFC were participating in the two-week Festival.
The one-day workshop aimed to enhance the coaches’ knowledge and experience, to introduce new scientific methods of leaning and better communication to be implemented in their coaching and training activities for young people.
In the same vein, Qatar opened their matches at the AFC annual festival with two victories over Lebanon and UAE with the scorelines of 2-0 and 2-1 respectively.
11 countries are represented in this tournament.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:19:00 AM
Having accumulated three points out of previous four rounds; Qatar will be in the hunt for their first victory when they play Saudi Arabia on February 22nd at the Jassim binHamad Stadium in the fourth round of Group B in the Asian zone qualifiers for the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Qatar gave away a one-goal cushion twice against Oman to succumb to a 2-2 draw in Group B of the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic Games ealier this month.
The Paulo Autuori team will be looking forward to revive their hopes of qualification even tough they are currently placed at third place with three points, while bearing in mind a win for Korea over Oman in the group’s other match.
Korea is leading qualifying Group A on eight points followed by Oman on seven, Qatar on three and Saudi Arabia with two.
A win will earn Korea a place in London regardless of the result of the final qualifier, at home against Qatar in March.
Qatar, on their route to the final qualifying round had to take on India in the pre-qualifiers in home and away format, when they recorded a 3-1 victory at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, before drawing 1-1 in return leg.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:17:00 AM
Qatari side Al Khor produced a scintillating performance to record a 1-0 away victory over Kuwaiti side Al Nasr at the Subah Salem Stadium, Kuwait in the GCC Club Championship on Teusday.
In the Group C match, Julio Cesar netted the Game’s lone goal for Al Khor to jump start their first regional campaign in over five years.
Yesterday, Qatar’s other representative Al Khuraitiyat lost to Al Wahda of UAE in Doha.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:23:00 AM
In an impressive performance in an away game, Al Wahda of UAE Monday beat Qatar Stars League (QSL) outfit Al Kharaitiyat 2-0 at the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in the opening match of the 27th GCC Cup.
It was the first home loss for the Qatari side.
Ismael Matar (58) scored the first goal of the match while Brazilian João Fernando Nelo found the net for Al Wahda in the 65th minute.
The first half ended goalless.
Al Kharaitiyat's upcoming matches will be played in March.
Monday, February 20, 2012 6:30:00 AM
Qatari outfit Al Arabi will leave to Abu Dhabi on February 28th before playing UAE side Bani Yas in their opening Asian Champions League match, the club website announced on Monday.
A friendly against Al Sailiya before leaving to Abu Dhabi was also scheduled.
Al Arabi will represent Qatar in this year’s version of the Asian Champions League alongside Al Rayyan, Lekhwiya and Al Gharafa.
Monday, February 20, 2012 6:29:00 AM
Following the appointment of Paulo Autuori as the new Head Coach; Qatar National Team kicked off their training sessions for the awaited 29th February World Cup qualifier against Iran at the Aspire Academy on Sunday.
All 28 players were present for the national squad’s first gathering since last December, exceptions were Mohammed Saqr, Youni Ali, Jarralah Al Mari and Abdullah Koni.
Qatar SC defender Khalid Saleh was called to join in to compensate for Koni’s absence.
In his first session, Autuori conducted a low-duty session as he emphasized on tactical drills to avoid overtraining effects following a number of hectic weeks in the local championship.
Monday, February 20, 2012 6:28:00 AM
Recently appointed Qatar coach Paulo Autuori praised his predecessor Sebastiao Lazaroni for leaving him a strong team that is on the verge of advancing to the final group phase of the Asian zone World Cup qualification stage.
“I have a great deal of confidence in my players’ ability to make it through our next match in Iran, we are trying to instill the needed amount of confidence and experience in this stage, we will have the advantage of having many players from Al Sadd who have done really well recently, this of course boosts our chances to produce a solid display in Azadi”, said the Brazilian.
He then added, “Whether it is the first team or the Olympic, we are facing a one way situation, winning is mandatory”.
“We have a large number of players that are capable of breaking through into the starting line-up, this creates a competitive atmosphere, which is always a good thing”.
A friendly with Lebanon was scheduled o the 23rd of this month, but was cancelled out of fear of injuries according to the Brazilian.
Monday, February 20, 2012 6:26:00 AM
Addressing a meeting attended by the national team and its technical staff on Sunday, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, president of the Qatar Football Association, has urged the players to intensify preparations for their 29 February World Cup qualifier against Iran and book one of the group’s two qualifying tickets.
His Excellency said his visit was aimed at boosting the players’ moral before the anticipated encounter, especially after the recent managerial change which saw Brazilian Paulo Autuori took over reigns at the Qatari bench replacing compatriot Sebastiao Lazaroni.
The meeting was also attended by National Teams Committee Director, Mr. Manasour Al Ansari and SNational Team Director Mr. Abdulramann Al Mahmoud.
Monday, February 20, 2012 6:22:00 AM
As the result of its international expansion and steady growth across all banking activities, Qatar National Bank (QNB) Group has signed a sponsorship agreement with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a powerhouse of European football and one of the world's most storied football clubs.
QNB Group, one of the leading banking brands in the Middle East and North Africa region, will utilise brand placement opportunities at Parc des Princes stadium, the iconic home of PSG, as well as all ancillary club facilities, in addition to having a prominent presence on the Club's website.
The agreement will help QNB elevate its brand visibility and presence to highlight its growing activities, which are supported by a physical network in 24 countries around the world, including a full branch in the French capital, Paris.
This partnership, which is the first of its stature and calibre for QNB Group outside the State of Qatar, makes QNB Group one of the most prominent partners from the region actively supporting European sport, as well as positions it as a key partner for sport in the city of Paris.