Hamad Al Mannai, Chairman of the Qatar National Competitions Committee (QNCC)
DOHA: The 2018-19 football season will kick off in August, a few weeks earlier than usual, it was confirmed yesterday.
Hamad Al Mannai, Chairman of the Qatar National Competitions Committee (QNCC), yesterday said the start of the new season has been planned keeping in mind the busy football activities of the Qatar national team.
It was also announced that the Khalifa International Stadium and Jassim bin Hamad Stadium will stage the matches in August since the two popular venues are equipped by state-of-the-art cooling technology.
In a story posted on www.qfa.qa, Al Mannai said the early start to the new season will help the national side make preparations for the 2019 Asian Cup, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early next year.
The QFA official pointed out that the start of the next season will be through the Super Cup match - a game involving the QNB Stars League (QSL) champions and the Emir Cup winners of the ongoing season.
The official also said in the coming days QFA will bring together all club representatives to discuss matters relating to events to be played during 2018-19 season. He said the forthcoming meeting will help clubs plan their off-season activities once they know the starting dates.
Al Mannai said that the early start of the new season will look into the interests of players, clubs and the national teams.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the Yemen Football Association (YFA) yesterday met with QFA Vice President Saud Al Mohannadi at Al Bidda Tower. The meeting was called following Yemen’s qualification to the 2019 Asian Cup after the Arab side beat Nepal 2-1 in Doha.
The YFA delegation lauded the QFA ‘for it’s role in the ongoing support of Yemeni football in Qatar’.
YFA Vice President, Hasan Bachanvr, YFA General Secretary, Dr Hamid Al Shaibani, and YFA Member of the Board of Directors, Labib Al Mahdi were welcomed by the QFA Vice President at QFA’s headquarters in Al Bidda Tower.
Al Mohannadi congratulated his Yemeni counterpart on Yemen’s qualification for the Asian Cup. Al Mohannadi wished the team well on what will be their debut appearance at the 24-team event.
Al Mohannadi said QFA remained committed to helping Yemen squad in their preparation for the 2019 Asian Cup.
Bachanvr, the YFA Vice President, said: “Presenting QFA today with the YFA shield is a humble gesture to thank our Qatari counterparts for their ongoing support of the development of Yemeni football. This confirms the brotherly relations and deep rooted cooperation between the two associations.”
