Brahimi adjudged best QNB Stars League player PAGE 14 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019 Qatar is ready for 2019 Club CLUB World CUP TroPHY AT QOC World Cup: Nasser al Khater TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK the Gulf Cup, it offers a chance Local Organising Committee, DOHA of Qatar to gauge the senti- Al Khater reiterated that the ments of the supporters attend- preparations for the big event QATAR is all set to host the ing their teams’ fixtures.T he are as per the schedule. 2019 FIFA Club World Cup learnings will be of help in the “Our preparations are go- in December this year, even run-in to the World Cup as Qa- ing as per plan. The roads as preparations for the 2022 tar looks to put up a great show and infrastructural projects World Cup are underway. The opportunity will be a for the fans expected to come in are almost 90 percent done, With the tournament less during the 2022 event. they will be ready for 2022. than a month away, Nasser testament to know how He said, “We will be get- Two stadiums (Khalifa & Al al Khater, the CEO of FIFA good we are. Prior to the ting (closely track) the senti- Janoub) are already complet- World Cup Qatar 2022, feels Club World Cup, we are ment of the fans coming for ed and by the end of this year, the country is ready to host the hosting the GCC Cup the upcoming Club World two more will be completed. champions of the FIFA Con- (Arabian Gulf Cup) as well. Cup and GCC Cup. We want “By the first quarterof federations around the world to make sure all fans here are 2020, we want to finish two along with Qatar Stars League It will also be very good going to have something that more and a further two by the (QSL) winner Al Sadd. preparation for us. covers the cultural elements end of 2020. All the training Qatar will also be playing Nasser al Khater, CEO, for them to see and make sure facilities have been prepared host to the 24th edition of the that it is really a comprehen- and ready. The metro will be Gulf Cup which will kick off on FIFA World Cup 2022 sive experience for them.” fully operational by the start of November 24, 2019, wherein The Supreme Committee the Club World Cup.” eight nations from the middle- us for the Club World Cup,” for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the This year’s Club World Cup east compete against each other. Nasser al Khater, the chief ex- organisation responsible for will feature European champi- “It is exciting. We feel ecutive of Qatar’s 2022 World the timely delivery of the infra- ons Liverpool who will compete ready. We have been prepar- Cup told goal.com. structure for the World Cup in against the New Caledonian ing for a long time. The oppor- Al Khater sees a great op- Qatar, has already unveiled two club Hienghene Sport. QSL win- tunity will be a testament to portunity in the two upcoming stadiums and had announced ner Al-Sadd, Esperance de Tu- know how good we are. Prior tournaments. Given the fact that all training facilities have nis from Africa, CONCACAF to the Club World Cup, we are that fans will come in all around been prepared well in advance. region’s Monterrey and the win- hosting the GCC Cup (Arabian the globe for the Club World As CEO of the FIFA World ners of Copa Libertadores and HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), and Jassim bin Gulf Cup) as well. It will also Cup and especially from rival Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, a joint AFC Champions League will Rashid al Buainain, Secretary-General of QOC, with the Club World Cup Winner’s Trophy which is now being be very good preparation for nations in the middle-east for venture between FIFA and SC’s also feature in the tournament. displayed at the QOC headquarters in Doha. Qatar pose a big challenge for hosts Afghanistan in Dushanbe FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 & AFC 2023 ASiaN CUP QUALifIERS Qatar coach Felix Sanchez and striker Almoez Ali address the media in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Monday. well. We are top of the group Asian champions will move and we will continue to work them to 13 points. hard in all our matches,” Qa- While India inflicted a late tar coach Felix Sanchez said blow on Afghanistan last time on Monday. out, it was they who suffered Asian Cup 2019 top scorer a similar fate when they met Almoez Ali also dismissed Oman on Matchday One, with fears of the cold weather Erwin Koeman’s side snatch- and artificial pitch affecting ing a 2-1 win having trailed the players. with eight minutes remaining The Al Duhail man says in Guwahati. they had played in such cold That win proved to be the weather – the temperature in start of a strong campaign for Dushanbe is 9 degrees. Oman, who have since breezed Almoez also added that, to two big wins in Muscat and “even the field of play will not pushed Qatar all the way in a STAYING COOL: Al Annabi train ahead of their qualifier match against Afghanistan at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Monday. prevent us from being at the 2-1 defeat in Doha. top of our game to grab the Koeman’s brother Ronald well ahead of the match with Singapore in Doha last week. in general we didn’t expect three points.” has had a successful interna- India to play Oman in Muscat an easy 2-0 friendly win over “We have started well, but the team to play all the games A win for the defending tional career by leading their native Netherlands to UEFA AFC/TNN into Tuesday’s fixtures had Euro 2020 qualification, and KUALA LUMPUR: they managed to hold on. the elder sibling of the fam- As it stands, Anoush Dast- ily could be on the way to WITH the group increasingly gir’s side are now five points going one better by lead- resembling a two-horse race, behind Oman and six behind ing Oman to a maiden FIFA both Afghanistan and India Qatar, giving them almost no World Cup. will aim to pull-off Matchday margin for error coming into Oman’s form on home soil Six shocks when they face the final four matches of this has certainly been impressive, the respective heavyweights round of the qualification race. racking up seven goals in two of Asian Qualifiers Group E Under those circum- wins, including four in the sec- on Tuesday. stances, reigning Asian ond half against Bangladesh Afghanistan will meet Qa- champions Qatar are far on Thursday, while India have tar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from the ideal next oppo- now gone more than two years while India face a trip to Oman nent, but Afghanistan will since emerging victorious as in the final Matchday before have little option but to try to the away team. the end of 2019. nullify the stars who swept to As ever, they will rely Afghanistan return for AFC Asian Cup glory in Abu on the goals of the talis- their second trip to Dushan- Dhabi nine months ago. manic Sunil Chhetri, who be’s Republican Central Sta- Akram Afif – one of the has called on his teammates dium in five days after a last- chief architects of that suc- to remain disciplined in a minute goal from Seiminlen cess – comes into the fixture match he has designated as Doungel helped India salvage fresh from being nominated a ‘must not lose’. a 1-1 draw last Thursday. for AFC Men’s Player of the It was that discipline which Doungel’s equaliser was Year, while Al Duhail forward helped India restrict Qatar to a a bitter pill to swallow for Af- Almoez Ali has already bagged 0-0 draw on Matchday Two, ghanistan, who would have four Asian Qualifiers goals in and it is likely a similar perfor- been within three points of this campaign. Afghanistan return for their second trip to Dushanbe’s Republican Central Stadium in five days after a last-minute goal from Seiminlen Doungel mance will be required to chal- second-placed Oman coming Al Annabi also prepared helped India salvage a 1-1 draw last Thursday. lenge the in-form Omanis. Sports Tuesday, November 19, 2019 13 SHEIKH JOAAN HONOURS TEAM QATAR’S SHOOTING STARS Qatar’s tennis team for GCC Championship TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK MANAMA (BAHRAIN) QATAR’S junior tennis team will participate in the GCC Tennis Championship for Un- der 14 & 18 years to be held in Manama, Bahrain, until No- vember 21. As per the draw, the Qatari junior team under-14 years will take on Bahrain on Mon- day at the start of their cam- paign of the event, before fac- ing Oman on Tuesday. Ahmed al Obaidli chairs Qatar’s delegation to the event. Qatar is being repre- HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), on Monday honoured the shooting team, medal winners, and those who qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the 14th Asian sented by four players Nasser Championship held at Losail recently. The ceremony was attended by HE Sheikh Saud bin Ali al Thani, First Vice-President of QOC; Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman al Kuwari, Second Vice-President of QOC; Jassim bin al Yafei, Ali Saadi, Meshaal al Rashid al Buainain, Secretary-General of QOC; President of Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSSA) Ali Mohamed al Kuwari as well as members of the Board of Directors of QSSA.