Messi in Doha

FC Barcelona Star Lionel Messi arrived in Doha on Monday for the official announcement of a new agreement between his charity foundation and Qatar-based telecom giants Ooredoo.

During a special ceremony in the Qatari capital, Ooredoo and the Leo Messi Foundation announced a trailblazing new initiative to support mobile health clinics around the world that will provide medical aid for children in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, with a target of reaching two million children by across Ooredoo’s markets by 2016.

“We believe that young people should be given a full range of life chances, so that they have the opportunity to grow and reach their potential. Disease and lack of access to healthcare is a major barrier for young people in many parts of the developing world, and we see the mobile clinic initiative as a practical and impactful solution to this” Ooredoo Chairman H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani said.

“Today’s initiative will enable us to work with the Leo Messi Foundation and transform our Indonesian mobile clinic initiative into a global force for better health.”

Among health-related projects, The Leo Messi Foundation, founded by the Argentine star in 2007, has helped fight Chagas disease, rehabilitate hospitals, and offer scholarships for training doctors. Working with Ooredoo will enable the Foundation to extend its work into the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.

"Ooredoo and I believe in making a difference in the community, and I’m proud that the Leo Messi Foundation will help Ooredoo provide much-needed healthcare and educational support for at-risk children around the world. This unique partnership with Ooredoo is another way that we can help youth make their dreams come true” the Barca living legend told the media.

Ooredoo supports a wide range of health services throughout its footprint, as part of its commitment to promoting human growth and giving back to the community. Now, working in partnership with the Leo Messi Foundation, Ooredoo plans to roll out mobile clinics across its global footprint with a particular focus on children’s health, in addition to enhancing the range of services provided by the clinics in Indonesia.

Ooredoo is also set to expand its range of Health services – health-based advisory and monitoring services that can be accessed via a mobile phone.

Messi, who visited Qatar twice before with the Argentine national team, held a press conference later in the day at Aspire Zone.

The Argentine star said once again that he will never play to any club other than FC Barcelona. He cited the reason of the famous defeat against Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions League to the fatigue some players felt after playing many big games before meeting the Bavarians.

After the conference Messi also met with kids from Qatar, Palestine, Indonesia, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and the Maldives at Aspire Zone. The 112 kids were chosen through a competition before the Barca star’s arrival in Doha. 

Al Sadd sweep season awards

Al Raya Newspaper 20/05/2013

After a wonderful season in which he played a major role in Al Sadd’s return to the top of the local scene, Khalfan Ibrahim was chosen as the player of the 2012-13 season in Qatar.

The 25-year-old former Asian Player of the year received the award on Sunday during a special ceremony that marked the end of the season.

Al Sadd’s Houcine Amouta won the coach of the season award; while the team’s promising left back Abdul Karim Hassan was awarded the young player of the season award.

Spanish legend Raul Gonzalez who was also nominated for the player of the season award, won the fair play award after ending his first season in Qatari football with al Sadd without receiving a single yellow card.

Al Khor won the managerial team of the season award, while Al Sadd and al Rayyan fans shared the fans of the season award.

Al Rayyan are the 2013 Emir Cup Champions

Two early first half goals gave Al Rayyan a thrilling 2-1 victory over their arch rivals Al Sadd in the final of the 2013 Emir Cup on Saturday, and their sixth title in Qatar's most prestigious competition.

HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, The Emir of Qatar, presented the trophy for the winners after the match that drew more than 50,000 spectators. Thousands of fans who were not able to find a ticket for the game, had to watch it in giant screens around the stadium.

Nilmar opened the score for "The Lions" after six minutes, before winning a penalty three minutes later, and Fabio Cesar made no mistake from the spot to double the score.

The two goals had a shocking effect on Al Sadd players, who were denied a legitimate goal earlier in the third minute of the game, when Youni Mahmoud was wrongly adjudged to be in an offside position.

Al Sadd pulled one back early in the second half through Spanish legend Raul Gonzalez, then pushed their opponents for an equalizer for the rest of the match.

Hassan Al Haydos hit the post with a fierce effort and Nadir Belhadj wasted an easy chance in the late stages of the game that ended in Al Sadd's third final defeat this season after also losing in the finals of Sheikh Jassim Cup and Heir Apparent Cup.

The colorful Al Rayyan fans were one of the highlights of the game, and the thousands of fans that took it to the streets of Doha to celebrate the victory, with the celebrations lasting till the early hours of the following day, proved once again that "Al Raheeb" currently have the biggest fan base in the country.

With this victory, Al Rayyan also secured Qatar's final spot in the 2014 AFC Champions League.

Match Info

2013 Emir Cup Final
Khalifa International Stadium
Doha, Qatar

Al Rayyan (2) [Nilmar 6' - Fabio Cesar 9']
Al Sadd (1) [Raul Gonzalez 55']

Al Rayyan: Omar Barry - Mohamed Alaa - Cho Yong Hyung, Moussa Haroon, Mohamed Alaa Al Din, Abdul Karim al Ali - Alvaro Fernandez (Ahmed Alaa 86') , Hamad Al Obaidi, Daniel Goumo, Fabio Cesar (Younis Ali 90+3) - Tabata, Nilmar (Jarallah Al Marri 90+5)

Al Sadd: Saad Al Shib - Lee Jung Soo, Ibrahim Majid, Mohamed Kasula, Abdul Karim Hassan (Ali Asad 46') - Talal Al Bloushi, Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Al Haydos, Khalfan Ibrahim (Yousef Ahmed 81') - Raul Gonzalez, Younis Mahmoud.

Referee: Abdul Rahman Abdou (Qatar)
Cautions: Cesar, Al Ali (Al Rayyan) Al Haydos, Kasula, Belhadj (Al Sadd)

Video highlights from Al Kass Channel

2013 Emir Cup Final Preview

Al Sadd vs. Al Rayyan
Khalifa International Stadium
Kick-off at 19:00 Local time

It’s that time of the year again; football fans in Qatar will flock to Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday to watch the final of the Emir Cup, the nation’s most prestigious competition.

In a Super Clasico between two of the most popular clubs in Qatar, thirteen-time winners Al Sadd will battle for the golden trophy with Al Rayyan who will be aiming for their sixth title in the competition and their third in the last four seasons.

In Brief

His highness the Emir of Qatar will be attending the match and will present the trophy for the winners.

Fans will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of entertainment options at special fan zone near the stadium.

Prizes worth three million Qatari riyals will be won by fans though a draw on tickets; they include 20 Toyota vehicles and 16 motorcycles, in addition to a variety of electronics and other prizes from the sponsors.

Abdul Rahman Abdou will be the first Qatari referee to officiate the match in 13 years.

Stadium Gates will open at 15:00
Gates 13-14 for VIP
Gates 12-15 for general fans
Gates 18-20-21 for Qatari Schools
Gates 16-17-18 for Foreign Schools
Gates 6-7-8-9-10-11 for families
Gates 2-3-4-5 for Al Sadd fans
Gates 22-23-24-25 for Al Rayyan fans

Al Sadd

 

After missing the opportunity on securing a historic quadruple by losing the finals of Sheikh Jassim Cup and Heir Apparent Cup, the Qatar Stars League Champions will do their best to end the season in style, a season that saw them returning to the summit of local scene after five difficult years.

Saad Al Shib is expected to start in goal, ahead of experienced Mohamed Saqr who spent most of the season on bench.

South Korea International Lee Jung-Soo and young star Ibrahim Majid will play in the heart of defense, with the revelation of the season Abdul Karim Hassan playing on the left and the tough Mohamed Kasula on the right.

The experienced Qatar national team duo of Talal Al Bloushi and Wissam Rizq will be at the center of midfield, with three attacking midfielders in front of them, Algerian Nazir Belhadj, will torture Al Rayyan’s defense from the left with his pin-point crosses, while the skill of Khalfan Ibrahim and Spain legend Raul Gonzalez will support the goal machine Younis Mahmoud, the most experienced forward in Qatari football.

43-year-old Moroccan coach Houcine Amouta was one of the main reasons of Al Sadd’s revival in his first season as full coach at the club. He already proved himself as a successful coach with great achievements at his homeland that include winning the 2010 CAF Cup title with FUS Rabat.

Al Sadd honors include winning 13 league titles, 13 Emir Cup titles, 12 Sheikh Jassim Cup titles, five Heir Apparent Cup titles, in addition to two Asian Champions League titles, one Gulf Champions Cup title and Arab Clubs Championship title.       

Al Sadd’s road to this year’s final started in the quarter finals where they defeated Umm Salal 1-0, before beating Lekhwiya 3-2 in the semis

Al Rayyan

 

Last chance for Al Rayyan, the club with the biggest fan base in Qatar, to give their followers something to cheer about, after another poor league campaign in which they failed to win the title for the 18^th consecutive time.

After a great start to the season, winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup by defeating Al Sadd in the final, the Lions finished third in the league and were knocked out by Al Sadd in the semifinals of Heir Apparent Cup.

Al Rayyan Coach Diego Aguirre will be under huge pressure, to end the season with a trophy. The 47-year old Uruguayan won local titles before with the South American giants Penarol in his homeland, and also with Deportivo FAS in El Salvador.

All eyes will be on former Brazil international Nilmar who had a relatively good season finishing second in the league’s top scorers list behind Sebastian Soria with 14 goals.

He will be supported in the attack by his fellow countryman, Rodrigo Tabata, one of the best attacking midfielders in the league, while Qatar internationals Fabio Cesar and Hamed Ismael will play on the right and left sides of midfield respectively. Daniel Gouma and Uruguay international Alvaro Fernandez will play as central midfielders.

Two young promising names will have a chance to prove their worth in the biggest game of their career, the left back Abdul Karim Al Ali and the right back Mohamed Alaa, while the centre-backs Musa Haroon and South Korea’s Cho Yong Hyung will use all their experience in front of the strong attack line of Al Sadd. Omar Barry will start in goal.

Al Rayyan was the team to beat during the nineties in Qatar, they won seven league titles, the last one in the 1994-95 season. Other Honors include winning five Emir Cup titles, four Heir Apparent Cup titles and three Sheikh Jassim Cup titles.

On their road to the final, Al Rayyan came back from behind to defeat Al Khor 4-1 in the quarter finals, before needing a penalty shootout to knock AL Jaish in the semis after the ninety minutes ended in a 1-1 draw.

Head2Head

Al Sadd and Al Rayyan previously met four times in the final of Emir Cup, on all four occasions Al Sadd won the title. Their last meeting in the final was in the 1999/2000 season and Al Sadd won 2-0 thanks to goals from their current coach Houcine Amouta and Adel Jadoua.

They also faced each other four times this season, in the final of Sheikh Jassim cup Al Rayyan won 1-0 with Jarallah Al Marri scoring the winner.

In the league Al Sadd ran out victorious 4-1 at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, before losing with the same score in the opposite fixture at home, then later In the semifinals of Heir Apparent Cup, Al Sadd defeated Al Rayyan 3-1.

Gulf Champions League - Al Khor vs. Baniyas - Preview

Julio Cesar, AL Khor's main attacking threat

Al Khor will be looking for an impressive result when they face UAE’s Baniyas on Friday in the first leg of the Gulf Champions League Final.

 

The match will be played at Al Khor Stadium, and will kick off at 19:00 local time.

 

The “Blue Knights” are in front of a historic chance to be Qatar’s second ever winner of the GCC’s top club competition. Al Sadd won Qatar’s only title in 1991 by defeating UAE’s Al Sharjah in the final.  

 

Last year, they were knocked out in the semifinal stage by Al Wasl, another club from UAE.

 

Baniyas had a good season on local front, and are close to securing a Champions League spot for 2014. Winning their first ever regional trophy will surely be a great achievement for their experienced Czech Coach Jozef Chovanec.

Abou Trika, Egypt's living legend (right)

They team have a number of experienced players in their ranks, including Egypt legend Mohamed Abou Trika who is playing on loan from Al Ahli of Cairo, Sweden international Christian Wilhelmsson, and Australia International Nick Carle. Other players to watch in this squad will be UAE’s 23-year-old talented midfielder Amer Abdul Rahman.

A difficult task ahead for Al Khor’s Romanian coach László Bölöni, but if the talented Brazilian trio of Julio Cesar, Madson and Bruno Mineiro are at their best, the “Blue Knights” can surely make history.  

AFC Champions League – Round of 16 – 1st leg - Results

Al Gharrafa (1) [Bresciano 42’]
Al Shabab (2) [Tagliabue 55’, Al Shamrani 83’]

Al Gharrafa failed to hold a 1-0 first half lead and now will face an uphill task against their opponents in the return leg in Riyadh.

The Leopards took the lead thee minutes before the break when French striker Djibril Cisse’ headed back George Kwesi’s cross to the path of Mark Bresciano, and the Australian international made no mistake from close range.

The home side could have ended the first half with a comfortable lead, but they failed to take their chances. Nene’, who joined the team in the summer break from French side PSG, wasted an easy opportunity earlier in the half.

Al Gharrafa’s defense looked exhausted during the second half and the visitors leveled the score ten minutes after the break through Sebastian Tagliabue, then seven minutes before the final whistle substitute Nasser Al Shamrani made a dazzling run into the box before easily slotting the ball past Qassim Burhan for the winner.

Al Jaish (1) [Anderson 76’]
Al Ahli (1) [Al Musa 45’]

Last year’s finalists Ahli Jeddah were clearly the better side in the first half but Al Jaish goalkeeper Ahmed Sofian was in top form pulling a number of brilliant saves before finally conceding Mutaz Al Musa’s towering header in the final minute.

Despite lacking the experience of continental competitions, Al Jaish leveled the score in the second half to keep alive their hopes of making the quarter finals in their first ever AFC Champions League, thanks to a powerful low drive from their captain Anderson who took advantage of the visitors’ slack defending.

Not a bad result for “The Maroon Battalion” but the return leg in Jeddah in front of Al Ahli's passionate crowds will be the ultimate test for their Romanian coach Razvan Lucescu.

Al Hilal (0)
Lekhwiya (1) [Msakni 82’]

They may have failed to win their third straight league title this season, but the “Red Troopers” surely recorded their biggest ever continental result on Wednesday when they defeated Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh with a single goal from Youssef Msakni.

Al Hilal is considered by many as the club of the century in Asia, winning the continent’s top club competition twice before the introduction of the AFC Champions League.

And to add insult to injury, their defeat came against a team led by their former coach, Eric Gerets. The 58-year-old Belgian led the Saudi club to a league and Crown prince Cup double in 2010, before leaving to take over the Moroccan national team.

With Madjid Bougherra at his best, Lekhwiya’s defense was quite impressive and the home side’s front line created only few real chances, until the final few minutes that saw Tunisia international Msakni scoring the winning goal for Lekhwiya with a great individual effort.

Candidates for the 2012-13 Season Awards announced

Candidates for this year’s Player of the season awards were announced on Wednesday by a special QSL Committee.

Spanish legend Raul Gonzalez of Al Sadd will be competing for the prize for his teammate Khalfan Ibrahim and Al Khor’s skillful Brazilian Madson.

Meanwhile, the Coach of the Season Award will be contested between Houcine Amouta (Al Sadd), Eric Gerets (Lekhwiya) and László Bölöni (Al Khor).

Al Sadd’s versatile left back Abdul Karim Hassan will be the favorite to win the young player of the year award, after his superb performances this season. The other candidates for this prize are Abdul Aziz Al Ansari (Al Khurtiyath) and Mohamed Khalifa AL Kuwari (Al Arabi).

135 votes from the local media and the clubs' technical staff will decide the winners, who will be announced during the special end of the season ceremony on May 19th. 

Emir Cup Final tickets near sold out

With two days to go for the Super Clasico between Al Sadd and Al Rayyan in the final of Qatar’s most prestigious competition, “The Emir Cup”, the match tickets are expected to be sold out soon.

The annual event usually attracts around 50,000 spectators to Khalifa International Stadium, and this year there are more than three million Qatari Riyals in prizes up for them to grab.

Qatar Football Association announced on Monday that 75 % of the game's tickets have been sold.

Tickets are available at Virgin Megastore and East 51 Store branches all over Qatar.

2013 Emir Cup Semifinals - Match Reports



Photo: Fadi Al Assaad - Reuters

Al Sadd (3) [Mahmoud 31’, Kasula 59’, Al Haydos 90’]
Lekhwiya (2) [Msakni 27’, Dia 66’]

Al Sadd continued this season's impressive form with a hard-earned 3-2 victory over their new arch rivals Lekhwiya to book their place in the final of Qatar’s most prestigious competition for the second straight year.

With Lekhwiya set to face Saudi giants Al Hilal after less than three days in the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League, their first ever appearance in the knockout stage of Asia’s premier competition, Belgian coach Eric Gerets, decided to omit his team’s top scorer Sebastian Soria and South Korean star Nam Tae Hee, from the starting line-up.

Despite dominating most of the opening half, Al Sadd found themselves one goal down after 27 minutes, when Ismael Mohamed sent an inviting cross from the right flank and the completely unmarked Youssef Msakni headed the ball in with ease.

Younis Mahmoud leveled the score four minutes later with a beautiful header, benefiting from a Nadir Belhadj’s pinpoint cross.

Al Sadd kept on the pressure and went ahead again ten minutes after the break when Younis Mahmoud sent a powerful long range effort that hit Raul Gonzalez, took a deflection and went in, but the goal was canceled as the Spaniard was in an offside position.

Few minutes later, Mohamed Kasula benefited from poor defending by Lekhwiya defense to head in, this time a legitimate goal for the league champions, after another perfect cross from Belhadj.

Lekhwiya refused to surrender and hit back with an equalizer from Issiar Dia, who sent a powerful low shot from the edge of the box that found its way to the back of the net through a jungle of Al Sadd defenders’ legs.   

Lekhwiya was the more dangerous side in the final minutes and nearly snatched a winner, but Adel Lami’s close range effort was blocked by a great sliding tackle from Ibrahim Majid.

In the closing minute, Khalfan won a free kick near the edge of the area, and everyone on the field was waiting for him to take it, but Al Haydos, who was in front of the dead ball with his back to the goal, surprised everyone by a quick turn and a fierce shot that gave no chance to Lekhwiya keeper Amine Lecomte and took his side to the big final.

Al Sadd will be looking for their 14^th Emir Cup title when they face Al Rayyan in the final on May 18^th.

Al Sadd: Saad Al Shib – Lee Jung Soo, Mohamed Kasula, Ibrahim Majid, Abdul Karim Hassan – Nadir Belhadj, Talal Al Bloushi, Hassan Al Haydos, Khalfan Ibrahim – Raul Gonzalez, Younis Mahmoud (Wisam Rizq 90+2’] – Coach: Houcine Amouta

Lekhwiya: Amine Lecomte – Madjid Bougherra, Dame Traore, Khaled Moftah, Mohamed Moussa – Karim Boudiaf, Luiz Junior, Adel Lami – Youssef Msakni, Issiar Dia, Ismael Mohamed – Coach: Eric Gerets

Referee: Andrea De Marco (Italy) – Assistants: Francisco De Luca (Italy) & Marco Barbirati (Italy)  

Photo: QNAOL

Al Rayyan (1) [Fernandez 20’]
Al Jaish (1) [Abdullah 49’]
Al Rayyan won 5-4 on Penalties

Al Rayyan dominated the first half and took a deserved lead in the 20^th minute, when Uruguayan Alvaro Fernandez broke the offside trap before heading in Fabio Cesar’s cross past Al Jaish goalkeeper Ahmed Sofian.

"The Maroon Battalion" equalized early in the second half with low powerful shot from Mohamed Abdullah after Al Rayyan defense failed to properly clear a corner from Karim Ziani.  

Sofian was in top form as he made a number of crucial saves to deny Al Rayyan's Brazilian duo Nilmar and Rodrigo Tabata and take the match to a penalty shootout.

The first nine penalty kicks went in, before Al Jaish’s Abdul Kader Ilyas sent the decisive kick wide to hand Al Rayyan their 15^th appearance in the Emir Cup final.  

Al Rayyan: Omar Barry – Cho Yong Huyng, Moussa Haroun, Abdul Karim Al Ali – Mohamed Alaa (Hamed Ismael 78’), Fabio Cesar, Hamad Al Abedy, Daniel Gomou, Alvaro Fernandez – Rodrigo Tabata, Nilmar – Coach: Carlos Aguirre

Al Jaish: Ahmed Sofian – Nayef Al Khater, Fawaz Al Khater (70’ Abdullah Ayesh), Anderson, Mosaab Mahmoud – Khaled Abdul Raouf (Go Seul Ki 59’), Mohamed Abduallah, Mohamed El Sayed “Jeddo” (Maged Mohamed 42’), Karim Ziani – Abdul Kader Ilyas, Wagner – Coach: Razvan Lucescu

Referee: Alain Bieri (Switzerland) – Assistants: Raffael Zeder (Switzerland) & Bruno Zurbruegg (Switzerland).

2013 Emir Cup Semifinals - Preview

 

Al Sadd vs. Lekhiwya
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Al Sadd Club, 17:15 (Doha)

The top two teams in Qatari football this season will have another opportunity to clash, this time with a place in the final of Qatar's most prestigious competition at stake.

Al Sadd won their first league title since the 2006-2007, a historic season in which they dominated all competitions, and with no duties in Asian competitions this season, they were hoping for a similar achievement, but Lekhwiya dashed their hopes when they defeated them in the final of the Heir Apparent Cup a couple of weeks ago.

Nonetheless, winning the double will be a great achievement for the “Wolves” in a season that saw them returning to the top on local level, with the help of their new coach, Moroccan Houcine Amouta and the arrival of Spain’s Legendary striker Raul Gonzalez.      

Lekhwiya failed to win a third straight league title, but they clinched their first ever Apparent Cup title, and will also be hoping to lift their maiden Emir Cup trophy.

Their Belgian coach Eric Gerets will expect his main striker Sebastian Soria to be in top form, as the Qatar international finished on top of the scorers list in the league with 19 goals, and also scored twice in the 4-2 quarter final victory over Al Gharrafa.

Last month, Lekhwiya reached the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League for the first time in their history, and will clash with Asian giants Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia over two legs in the round of 16 later this month. The first leg will take place in Riyadh on May 15th.

Al Sadd won the Emir Cup trophy a record 13 times, and lost the final five times, most recently when they lost on penalties to Al Gharrafa last year.

 

Al Rayyan vs. Al Jaish
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Al Sadd Club, 19:45 (Doha)

After winning their first ever trophy this season by defeating Al Arabi in the final of QNB Cup last March, and reaching the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League in their first ever participation in continental competitions, the “Maroon Battalion” will be full of confidence ahead of their clash against Al Rayyan. 

Their witty coach Razvan Lucescu will welcome back the team’s top scorer Adriano, but will have to cope without former Al Rayyan defender Marcone, who will miss the game through suspension after seeing red in the quarter final against Qatar Sports Club. 

Al Rayyan, the most popular team in Qatar, will be hoping to avoid a poor end to a season, which they started brightly defeating Al Sadd in the final of Sheikh Jassim Cup, before posing an a serious challenge for the league winners during the first weeks of the season, thanks to the brilliant form of their new signing, Nilmar and star attacking midfielder Rodrigo Tabata.

The Lions suffered greatly in the second half of the season, especially with their duties at the continental front, where they crashed out of the group stage of AFC Champions League. Uruguayan coach Carlos Aguirre has been under huge pressure recently and only a victory in the final of Emir Cup might save his job.