Sport SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER 2020 French Open: Rafael Nadal eases into last 16 as Halep, Thiem impress I think today I played the best match this year at Roland Garros. I hope to continue like this. I’m playing quite well and I played more aggressive than in previous days. Rafael Nadal Sport | 15 AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: SEMI-FINAL (West) Al Nassr vs Persepolis FC - Venue: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (Kick-off: 18:00) SC webinar discusses ways to host mega sporting events in a COVID-19 world Qatar conducts 7,900 PCR tests to deliver safe AFC Champions League competition THE PENINSULA – DOHA The hosting of the matches successfully Dr Abdulwahab Almusleh, Senior Consultant to the Minister of Public gives us assurance that the country is Health (MOPH), yesterday announced ready for hosting international sports that Qatar conducted a staggering 7900 events in the future. This experience COVID-19 tests during the AFC Cham- gives us a boost on our understanding pions League matches held in the and experience. If for any reason, a sports country in the last three weeks. A total of 16 teams from across Asia event happens in similar situations of a featured in the region’s top club tour- pandemic, the country is surely capable nament that began on September 13. of managing it successfully: Senior The last match of the tournament Consultant to the Minister of Public between Al Nassr and Persepolis will TOP LEFT: Deputy Director Health, Dr Abdulwahab Almusleh be played today. of the Competitions and From the time the teams started Football Events Division arriving in Doha, a strict health and at the AFC, Avazbek safety protocol was established by the Berdikulov; Senior Local Organizing Committee (LOC) that Consultant to the Minister helped in keeping the players and offi- of Public Health, Dr cials safe throughout three weeks, Abdulwahab Almusleh; Almusleh said during a live webinar BOTTOM: HSSE Assurance yesterday. Senior Manager, Gordon Yesterday's webinar was titled Penney during the ‘Hosting mega sporting events in a COVID-19 world’ and the panellists dis- webinar. cussed how Qatar put together a plan to conduct a safe AFC Champions League tournament despite the pan- demic sweeping the globe. “The number of tests we have done so far are 7900. Among the various sub-groups associated with the tour- nament, the officials of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Qatar Football Association (QFA), members of the LOC, the hotel staffers and the players and backroom staff of teams The state-of-the-art Education City Stadium. were all tested often,” Almusleh said. “Although we had very short time to plan, and with cases in the countries LOC members. We adopted strict happened despite the players arriving “The hosting of the matches suc- “When we planned to resume AFC of the participating clubs high, we still measures at the airport, team hotels, with certificates of clearance given to cessfully gives us assurance that the action - after it was stopped in March managed to put together a very good training venues and match stadiums. them two days prior. country is ready for hosting interna- - we had a set of discussions with plan for the tournament. We had We did this eyeing any possibilities of “We identified the cases through a tional sports events in the future. This AFC members. We started to work written public health protocols that a positive case at any of these spots. process called track and trace. That is experience gives us a boost on our with FIFA and other bodies. We came were sent to participating clubs well “We asked each team and their part of MOPH guidelines. We got to understanding and experience. If for up with our own set of guidelines on before the start of the tournament. This travelling delegation to bring a certif- know they tested positive one night any reason, a sports event happens in how to resume the action. We dis- was done before the teams arrived in icate of clearance on COVID-19 before prior to arriving here following a similar situations of a pandemic, the cussed all scenarios before resuming. Doha,” Almusleh said. they landed here. Majority of them did. dinner ceremony (before flying out to country is surely capable of managing I can proudly say that AFC in coop- “The health protocols were based There were certain countries which Doha). So the first cluster was those six it successfully,” Almusleh said. eration with QFA and LOC, did a tre- on the MOPH guidelines. The guide- lacked proper testing. Just before the players and they were detected on Sept Avazbek Berdikulov, Deputy mendous job of putting 16 clubs in one lines were finalised before the teams teams and players entered our bubble- 11. We did the test and got the result in Director of the Competitions and country. arrived here in September after Qatar to-bubble area, we wanted to make 6-8 hours. Football Events Division at the AFC, on Gordon Penney, HSSE Assurance went through several phases as it lifted sure all were negative. We tested “Then we knew the challenges will Friday lauded Qatar for its timely role Senior Manager, said: “It’s an honour the COVID-19 restrictions. We were in arriving delegations when they landed be big. This was unexpected but we in conducting the tournament. to be able to discuss the various parts Phase Four when the tournament at the airport. went for fine-tuning right away. Out “I would like to thank QFA for of the journey itself. I’d like to say started. The protocol was compre- “We expected to discover sporadic of the 8000 tests we conducted, we coming forward and supporting us to running any tournament during normal hensive - detailing all aspects of cases during the tournament. This was got around 96 positive cases and 56 host this tournament. It is a gesture that times - without COVID-19 - involves COVID-19 that included prevention, the reason to set up the bubble-to- reactive cases that had mild is well appreciated by AFC. The infra- complexity. So when you inject the mitigation, response and recovery from bubble environment. I was surprised symptoms,” Almusleh said. structure in Qatar to host sporting COVID-19 situation into that apparatus, this diseases if we found any positive to see relatively large number of pos- The MOPH official said Qatar has events is really unmatched. I have no hosting a tournament like this doubles cases. itive cases among one participating emerged stronger and more confident doubt that the competition was the complexity and all of a sudden it “We put together necessary club - six members, in fact, after we about hosting top sports events in the delivered smoothly,” Berdikulov said becomes a high-pressure environment. arrangements for teams, officials, the tested them at the airport. This future. yesterday. It becomes a massive challenge.” Confident Al Nassr, Persepolis target spot in ACL final AFC – DOHA needing late goals from Al Nassr three years. In 2017, they far,” said the Persepolis head their prolific strikers. head were beaten by Al Hilal coach. After 19 days of high quality Abderrazzak Hamdallah’s coach SFC 6-2 on aggregate, and “Our record proves we action in the Qatari capital Doha, calmly-taken effort with 15 Rui the following year, they always have a lot to say in this the 2020 AFC Champions minutes to go was enough Vitoria learned their lesson and competition. It shows good League (West) culminates with to guide Al Nassr past beat Al Sadd 2-1 to reach planning at the club and togeth- the semi-final clash between countrymen Al Taawoun, the final, which they lost erness between the players as Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr and while Isa Al Kasir left it to Kashima Antlers. well as mental strength. This year Islamic Republic of Iran’s Perse- until two minutes from Vitoria’s opposite the difference is that we do not polis FC at Jassim Bin Hamad time to send Al Sadd number Yahya Golmo- have the advantage of playing in Stadium today. crashing in a 1-0 win. Persepolis hammadi took a different front of our fans in Azadi. Both sides finished top of In the quarter-finals, coach Yahya view of his side’s record in Despite 14 AFC Champions their respective groups, with Al both Al Nassr and Perse- Golmohammadi the competition in recent League campaigns between Nassr collecting 11 points to pip polis won with a 2-0 years, while acknowl- them, Al Nassr and Persepolis Al Sadd to the summit of Group scoreline. Abdulfattah Asiri teams want to win,” said Al Nassr some very good players, but edging the 2020 AFC have only met in the compe- D, while Persepolis mounted a and Pity Martinez scored either head coach Rui Vitoria. confidence is something that Champions League throws tition twice, both coming in the comeback from one point in side of the break to help Al Nassr “Since the beginning we have comes from inside for us. We Persepolis a different group stage of the 2015 edition. their first two games to qualify overcome Al Ahli Saudi FC, while been confident. We respect the have to enjoy our play but also challenge. Al Nassr emerged 3-0 winners as Group C leaders with nine it was Al Kasir again with a brace different problems each have the responsibility; this “Any team that comes this in Riyadh, while Persepolis won points, a point ahead of second- to down Pakhtakor. opponent poses to us. All teams balance is my message for the far in the competition is here 1-0 at Azadi Stadium.