DOHA: A tight football calendar has forced Qatar to kick off their new football season earlier than usual to assist the national teams prepare well for international assignments.
The first four rounds of the new QNB Stars League will be played at only two venues, Ahmed Al Adsani (pictured), Director of Competitions Committee at QNB Stars League, said here yesterday.
“Before finalising the fixtures, we took into account the interest of the Qatar national teams. Qatar will be playing in the 2019 Asian Cup and many international matches in the coming weeks and months,” Al Adsani said.
“So, the national team will have a busy season and we have to make sure that we offer the Qatar players every help as they prepare for international assignments,” he added. “We always look to support the national teams in any way we can.”
“It is important to note that two QNB Stars League clubs - Al Duhail and Al Sadd - are appearing in the AFC Champions League quarterfinals. So, we took into account all aspects before announcing our schedule,” he said.
The matches in the first four rounds of the 2018-19 QNB Stars League season will be played at two venues - Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and the Khalifa International Stadium.
The two venues are equipped with the state-of-the-art cooling technology.
“We will be playing the first few rounds at these two venues because they have the best cooling technology. The matches will commence at around sunset time which is good for the players,” Al Adsani said.
“Once the first few rounds end, the teams will go back to playing on their home turfs,” Al Adsani said.
“As of now, the teams will use the two venues as ‘home’ and ‘away’ venues,” he added.
