Day: May 13, 2023

The Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) witnessed on Saturday the Qatar Football Association (QFA) Awards Ceremony for the 2022-2023 season, in the presence of HE President of QFA Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani and CEO of the Qatar Stars League Hani Ballan. Also present were a number of guests, club presidents, sports personalities, club company representatives, technical and administrative staff, coaches, players and media representatives.

The most prominent stars of the season were honored with various awards.

The Medal of Achievement (highest honors) was newly launched by the Board of Trustees of QFA Awards. It is awarded to personalities who make distinguished contributions during their lifetime to the development of football at the sports and administrative levels.

The Board of Trustees of QFA Awards decided to award this year’s Medal of Achievement to the following: Engineer Helal bin Jeham bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari is former president of Aspire Zone Foundation, who have had a creditable record having served the country in various platforms and projects, such as stadiums and facilities for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Mohannadi is former vice-president of the Qatar and Asian football associations, a member of the FIFA Council and was one of the distinguished Qatari sports administrators. He was part of the development and success of football, at the local and Asian levels.

The Football for All Award is given by the QFA Awards Board of Trustees to organizations, groups or individuals making a significant contribution to promote the culture football in society. Al Kass Ramadan Tournament won it this season.

The Best Referee Award was given to the quartet of: Abdulhadi Al Asmar Al Ruwaili – Best Referee; Jomaa Mohammed El Borshid – Best First Assistant Referee; Abdul Majid Hussein Al Kerbi – Best Second Assistant Referee; and Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Jassim – Video Assistant Referee.

Al Duhail’s Kenyan star striker Michael Olunga won the Mansour Muftah Award (Top Scorer) by scoring 22 goals in the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League.

The Best Under-23 player award was won by Al Rayyan’s Osama Al Tairi, who received the highest percentage of votes after a strong competition with both Jassim Jaber of Al Arabi and Khaled Mohammed Saleh of Al Duhail.

The Best Coach Award was won by Al Arabi’s Qatari coach Younes Ali, who received the highest percentage of votes.

He outwitted Al Duhail’s Argentinian coach Hernan Crespo and Al Wakrah’s Spanish coach Marquez Lopez.

The Best Player Award was won by Al Arabi’s Tunisian star Yousef Msakni, who got the most votes after strong competition from Al Sadd and Qatar national team star Akram Afif and Al Duhail’s Michael Olunga.

The Board of Trustees of the QFA Awards congratulates all winners, and thanks and appreciates all those who attended the closing ceremony of 2022-2023 season.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), a QF partner, hosted the Class of 2023 graduation ceremony, celebrating a 105 undergraduate students and 29 graduate students, drawing an esteemed audience of 900 family, friends, university faculty and staff, and dignitaries from both the local community and Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

The keynote address was delivered by Ayman Mohyeldin, renowned journalist and the host of MSNBC’s prime-time show AYMAN. “Graduation is not about celebrating the degree you earned or the courses you passed,” he said. “It is about remembering how you feel because of what you experienced, what you touched, what you felt, the relationships you made, the way you opened your heart and expanded your mind. In short, you will remember how you felt during graduation because you and only you know the journey you experienced.” GU-Q Dean Dr. Safwan Masri expressed his pride in the Class of 2023, remarking, “Commencement is more than a celebration of the valuable degree students receive it’s a recognition of the countless hours of hard work and dedication that went into earning it, the many small victories along the way, and the great contributions to our world in the years ahead.” The Secretary of the Board of Georgetown University Marie A. Mattson represented the Washington, DC, campus and conferred the degrees at the event, with Dean Masri opening the ceremony, presenting the degree candidates, and offering closing reflections.

In addition to the 105 ceremony participants receiving a Bachelor’s of Science in Foreign Service, Dean Masri also recognized graduates of Georgetown University’s Executive Master’s in Diplomacy and International Affairs program. He noted that the 11 graduates of the Class of 2022 and 18 graduates in the Class of 2023 have excelled in their respective fields and are now equipped with advanced knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of international diplomacy.

Established in Qatar in 2005, GU-Q empowers students and builds human capacity to meet the needs of the 21st century, providing a holistic educational experience built upon the highest academic standards. GU-Q’s Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service is the same program and curriculum offered at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) in Washington, DC, with majors in International Economics, International Politics, Culture and Politics, and International History.

The Executive Master’s in Diplomacy and International Affairs is offered through the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at SFS, and was custom-built to meet the needs of the region.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) highlighted the first three groups of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 to be hosted by Qatar from January 12 until February 10, 2024.

24 national teams will participate in the 18th edition of the Asian championship, whose opening match will see Qatar face off Lebanon.

The AFC report provided the below assessment of Groups A, B, and C: Group A: Defending champions Qatar and China PR will fancy their chances of advancing to the Round of 16 with Lebanon’s previous campaigns having ended in the group stage while Tajikistan will be making their Finals’ debut.

However, the AFC Asian Cup has always delivered surprises and Qatar and China will have to tread with caution.

Group B: Australia’s target is to regain the title they won in 2015 while Uzbekistan will be determined to go further after being eliminated in the Round of 16 in the previous edition.

Syria and India, however, will feel they have a chance as well, setting the stage for some exciting matches in Group B.

Group C: Islamic Republic of Iran, three-time champions and semi-finalists in 2019, will be expected to dominate Group C, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – whose campaign ended at the last four stage on home soil four years ago – expected to seal the second automatic slot in the Round of 16.

Hong Kong, China and Palestine, however, will be fired up for the challenge of taking on two of the continents biggest teams.

Qatar is the first country to host the tournament three times in its history, having hosted the 1988 and 2011 editions, ahead of Iran, Thailand, and the UAE, who previously hosted the tournament twice each.

The AFC report provided a historical overview of Group A teams, where the Qatari team participated 10 times in the championship, compared to 12 for China and 2 for Lebanon, whilst AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 will witness Tajikistan’s first-ever appearance in the championship’s finals. Qatar’s best achievement was winning the title in the Emirates 2019, along with appearing in the quarter-finals of the 2000 and 2011 editions. China’s best results were finishing runner-up in 1984 and 2004, in addition to being present in every version of the finals, since the inception of the championship in 1976. Whereas, Lebanon made it to the finals first during its hosting of the 2000 edition.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The FIFA organized the first Knowledge Exchange workshop within the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) in Algiers.

With the support of CAF and the Algerian Football Association, the Algerian capital Algiers staged the first Knowledge Exchange workshop in Africa. Hosted during the prestigious CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, it provided an opportunity for delegates to see some of the continent’s best youth talent on an international stage, the FIFA said on its website. The workshop brought together eight member associations from across Africa, namely: Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Zambia, Ghana and South Africa.

The workshop was designed and delivered by the FIFA TDS and Technical leadership teams with the aim of enabling key members from each MA to share knowledge, combat regional challenges, and explore the leadership capabilities required to accelerate the implementation of the TDS.

The main objective of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) is to help raise the standards of men and womens national-team football based on FIFA’s long-term commitment to global talent development.

In December 2022, the FIFA Council approved a funding allocation of USD 200 million to cover the 2023-2026 operational lifecycle of this flagship initiative.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), in partnership and coordination with the United Nations Population Fund, implemented a project to build and equip a number of emergency obstetric departments in two primary health care facilities in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, as part of the ‘Comprehensive Health Care Services for Vulnerable People’ project, funded by the Qatar Fund for Development, with a value of $5,359,285.

In a statement, the QRCS sated that the project included building and equipping three obstetric emergency rooms, a private clinic for women in the courtyard of the Bayt Hanzal Medical Center, and supporting the Al-Sunaina Medical Complex with medical supplies and equipment related to obstetric emergencies.

For her part, project manager Dr. Munira Al Aini stated that seven obstetric emergency departments have been equipped in seven facilities within the project, with the aim of enabling mothers to obtain proper health care during pregnancy and childbirth and to reduce the death rate resulting from the risks of childbirth.

Going on since March 2021, the ‘Comprehensive Health Care Services for Vulnerable People’ project aims at supporting 11 health facilities in three Yemeni governorates: Sana’a, Taiz, and Al-Hudaydah. Its activities include the supply of devices, furniture, medical equipment, medicines and laboratory solutions, in addition to providing incentives for the medical and administrative staff and securing operational materials for the targeted facilities on a regular basis. The latest statistics indicated that the number of beneficiaries of these services and medical consultations increased to about 1,170,756 until the end of last year.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Head coach of Al Arabi football team Younis Ali expressed his happiness with winning coach of the season award, during the closing ceremony of the awards for the best of the 2022/2023 football season. The award ceremony was held today at the Qatar National Convention Center.

Ali guided his team to winning the 51st edition of HH the Amir Cup, defeating Al Sadd 3-0. He told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that he expects the club’s to have even bigger hopes after the win, given its great history.

The 40 year-old said his coach of the year award win, at the third time of asking, was thanks to the efforts of everyone involved whether the management, coaching staff, and the players. He added that he was receiving the award today to crown their efforts throughout the season. Al Arabi finished the league in second place, only two points behind Al Duhail.

He said he was proud to guide his team to the win the club’s ninth HH the Amir Cup, noting that it was a difficult season given the break taken midway through for the World Cup.

Ali is the second Qatari coach to win the award, following Abdullah Mubarak. He said he was delighted to take Al Arabi to where it should be in terms of competing for title, and that his hope is to improve on the team in the off-season in order to continue competing for titles Al Arabi fans aspire for.

Source: Qatar News Agency