CRICKETCRICKET| Page 5 NBA | Page 6 No question Harden and over Paine’s Westbrook captaincy, says lead Rockets coach Langer to big win Thursday, January 2, 2020 FOOTBALL Jumada I 7, 1441 AH Loew faces GULF TIMES tricky year with unfi nished team SPORT Page 2 INTERVIEW Al-Thawadi: Tournaments will help Qatar fi ne-tune plans for the 2022 FIFA World Cup t’s been another year of substan- The launch of Al Janoub Stadium Huge credit must go to Qatar Rail for tial progress on the road to Qatar’s was a huge moment for us as it providing such an exceptional experi- hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qa- was the fi rst tournament venue ence. tar 2022. to be built from scratch. Seeing One of our tasks now is to look IAl Janoub Stadium became the sec- carefully at the entire journey the the stadium full to capacity dur- ond tournament venue to be inau- ing the Amir Cup – and looking fans take. Did they fi nd it easy to get gurated when it hosted the Amir Cup absolutely splendid – was a to a metro station? Did they take ad- fi nal in May, while the remaining six landmark achievement. These vantage of the free travel on match stadiums edged closer to completion. are the nights which showcase days? What about the journey on foot Qatar also successfully delivered our journey towards to 2022 from the metro station to the stadium? two major tournaments – the Arabian Then once they arrived at the stadium, Gulf Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. extra mile in order to deliver a memo- how quickly did they come through Both events showcased the country’s rable fan experience. security and get to their seats? These readiness as it gears up to host inter- We know, however, that there are are all questions we need to assess and national football’s showpiece event in areas where we can improve the fan review over the coming months. less than three years’ time. experience. There are certain things For Hassan al-Thawadi, Secre- we need to prioritise from a commu- Al Janoub Stadium was inaugu- tary-General of the Supreme Com- nications point of view, such as travel, rated in May 2019 when it hosted mittee for Delivery & Legacy, 2019 has security and ticketing. We also need to the Amir Cup fi nal. What can we ex- been a landmark year as Qatar edges ensure fans are familiar with cultural pect in terms of stadium openings in ever nearer to the FIFA World Cup. norms in Qatar and feel comfortable 2020? about visiting our country. The launch of Al Janoub Stadium What are the initial lessons was a huge moment for us as it was learned from the Arabian Gulf Cup The Red, Green and Gold lines of the fi rst tournament venue to be built and FIFA Club World Cup, which the Doha Metro are now operation- from scratch. Seeing the stadium full Qatar successfully hosted in No- al. How would you assess the im- to capacity during the Amir Cup – and vember and December? pact of the metro during the tour- looking absolutely splendid – was a Both tournaments showed we are naments? landmark achievement. on the right track to delivering an One of our biggest challenges in These are the nights which show- outstanding World Cup in 2022. We 2022 will be getting groups of peo- case our journey towards to 2022. In learned a lot across every functional still have a long way to go in order to the lessons learned in 2020 and be- It was a key test – and as we’ve been ple from A to B. Shuttling fans, play- terms of 2020, four stadiums are in the area, whether it be ticketing, secu- deliver the best possible tournament yond. saying would be the case for many ers and offi cials between their hotels, fi nal stages of delivery: Education City rity, communications, travel, accom- for fans, players and offi cials in 2022. years, those fans were welcomed with training sites, stadiums and fan zones Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Rayyan modation, protocol and others. Both We are still learning and there remain During the FIFA Club World Cup, open arms. We have always said that will require careful planning. Hav- Stadium and Al Thumama Stadium. events were invaluable – and we ex- plenty of challenges. However, we there was an infl ux of fans from all we want to showcase Qatari and Arab ing the metro operational during the The other two, Ras Abu Aboud Stadi- pect the Club World Cup in 2020 will are proud of both tournaments and over the world – with most of them hospitality – and that’s exactly what two recent tournaments was a huge um and Lusail Stadium, are also near- be exactly the same. They are all vital pleased with the feedback we have re- being fi rst-time visitors to Qatar. we did during the Club World Cup. advantage. It is very convenient for ing completion and will be delivered learning experiences. ceived so far. We will carefully assess This felt like a key test for the coun- The fans discovered a very friendly everyone. It is also the cheapest and well in advance of the World Cup. (sc. Despite the successes, we know we the constructive criticism and apply try as it gets ever closer to 2022... country which was prepared to go the quickest way of getting around Qatar. qa) QNB STARS LEAGUE Wakrah will pose a tough challenge for Al Sadd: Xavi ‘We suff ered against them in the first phase. They have an excellent coach who knows his players very well’ By Sports Reporter gone well and everyone is in working players because they are with the Qa- Doha hard to get a spot in the starting eleven. tar Olympic team. If we were playing I will work on choosing the best suitable against Al Sadd two weeks ago, the situ- lineup.” ation would have been diff erent.” l Sadd head coach Xavi Her- As for his team’s transfer moves in In today’s second match, Al Ahli will nandez reckons Al Wakrah January, Xavi pointed out that up to this be taking on neighbours Al Arabi. can give his team a “diffi cult” point, he does not know anything about “It will be an exciting game from start time when they clash in the any new signings, and added: “I work till the end, regardless of the teams’ AQNB Stars League today. only with the available players in the rankings. We are prepared to provide Al Sadd trail leaders Al Duhail by a team. I am working with a strong team our best and achieve a positive result at whopping 11 points (29 to 18) but they that can compete for all the titles. Our the start of second leg of the competi- have played two matches less owing to goal is always to win.” tion,” said Al Ahli coach Nebojsa Jovovic their AFC Champions League commit- Midfi elder Nam Tae-hee said Al Sadd “This will be an important start for ments, Xavi’s side aiming to make a re- are well-prepared for the match. the team. I have felt a good atmosphere newed push for the title in the new year. Nam said: “We have been working since my arrival here, a great under- “Happy new year to everyone! We very hard in training lately and we are standing by the players with my phi- will have a diffi cult game against Al fully prepared for this important game losophy. Now, we have started work and Wakrah. We know we will face a very against Al Wakrah. Our goal is to get the every day I notice an improvement in strong team. We suff ered against them three points.” the team’s performance.” in the fi rst phase. They have an excel- He added: “I am working as hard as Al Arabi coach Heimir Hallgrimsson lent coach who knows his players very possible for the team but I’m not satis- meanwhile said that he was aiming for well, but we are fully prepared to get fi ed with my performances until now. three points. the win,” said the Spain and Barcelona We want to win all the remaining games “It will be diffi cult because Al Ahli legend. and I will work on performing better so are playing under a new coach, who has He added: “I do not know whether that we can reach the level expected by a diff erent style. He is experimenting (Cristian) Ceballos will return to play our fans.” with diff erent ways in order to find the with Al Wakrah or not, but the rest of Meanwhile, Al Wakrah coach Mar- best possible combination. the players are of the highest calibre. quez Lopez was hoping to get the better “For us, we gain confi dence after On paper, we are the favourites. We are of his rivals today. every game. I think we will win the next coming on the back of a big win over Al “Our team has undoubtedly im- game and get three points. Gharafa in our best game of the season. proved from the time we played against “I would like to say that I don’t feel But our performance on the pitch (to- Al Sadd in the fi rst leg. We want to get a any diff erence because we are work- morrow) is what will help us get a posi- good result against our opponents, who ing on a long-term project and we look tive result.” are a great team.