Before hosting the cultural district of Katara in the Qatari capital (Doha), the Arab Cup draw next Tuesday, a number of Arab football stars, ambassadors of the Qatar Legacy Program, talked about the importance of Qatar hosting the tournament as part of its preparations to organize the most prominent sporting event, the World Cup at the end of next year.
The star of Egyptian football and the former Al-Ahly club, Wael Gomaa, who is considered one of the best defenders in the history of African football, said that the Arab Cup is a valuable opportunity for the working teams organizing the Qatar 2022 World Cup to determine the readiness of the tournament stadiums and the associated infrastructure.
He added, "The Arab Cup will represent for Arab teams from the African continent a golden opportunity in the process of preparing to participate in the African Nations Cup early next year, and the Arab Asian teams, which will then have completed the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, will benefit from the Arab Cup in preparing their teams." Of the upcoming global event on the land of Qatar.
Wael Jumaa assured that the Arab Cup will be a good opportunity for the Arab teams that are preparing for the upcoming tournaments (Al-Jazeera)
Jumaa shed light on the important role of the Arab Cup in uniting fans and teams from all over the Arab world, something that no other football competition could do at this level in the recent past.
For his part, Qatari star Khalid Salman, who scored a hat-trick for his country against Brazil in the 1981 World Youth Championship, expected the Arab Cup to witness distinctive confrontations between Arab teams.
Salman said, "The champions of Asia and Africa will participate in the Arab Cup, as well as other teams that have previously crowned one of the two continental championships, in addition to other teams that are performing remarkably at the present time, which confirms that Qatar will witness the end of this year exciting competitions that reflect the capabilities of the Arab teams in the best way." ".
The former Qatari soccer star, Ibrahim Khalfan, who participated in the Qatar national team in 90 matches and was among the ranks of Annabi, who qualified for the 1984 Summer Olympics in the United States, indicated that the Arab Cup will start with it a historic football year that will be concluded by hosting the Qatar 2022 World Cup. "The Qatari national team stands on the verge of important months this year, as it will continue to participate in the European World Cup qualifiers, in addition to its participation in the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021," he said.
Ibrahim Khalfan talked about the Qatar national team benefiting from its various participations to perfectly prepare for the 2022 World Cup (Al-Jazeera)
Khalfan stressed that the presence of the Qatar national team in the regional and international sports scene will contribute to improving the team’s performance and developing players ’skills in preparation for the World Cup, noting that the Qatari team’s participation in the Arab Cup competitions comes as part of a plan prepared by the Qatar Football Association to prepare the team for the upcoming football World Cup on its soil. Next year.
The Qatar national team will participate in the Arab Cup, champion of the AFC Asian Cup, after snatching the continental title in 2019, deservedly and without defeat.
Al-Annabi succeeded in his journey to the title by defeating 3 of the teams that participated in the 2018 World Cup;
It is Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and then Japan in the final of the tournament.
Former Qatar national team star, Adel Khamis, who is considered the first Qatari player to play abroad in the ranks of the Kuwaiti Al-Qadisiyah club in the late 1990s, confirmed that Al-Annabi competing in the Arab Cup as a champion of the Asian continent will enhance the players' confidence in their performance. Al-Arabia Participation in the Arab Cup with players participating in the best clubs in the world; however, I am sure that the Qatari national team will represent a strong opponent that is difficult to defeat.
Mubarak Mustafa, the former Qatar national team star who won the Arab Gulf Cup twice with Annabi, indicated that the performance of the Arab teams has witnessed a remarkable development in recent years, and this is evident in the qualification of 4 Arab teams for the World Cup competitions in Russia in 2018. Mustafa said. , Who previously took over the coaching of the Qatari national team, about his aspiration to competitions in the Arab Cup, describing it as a valuable opportunity that will contribute to introducing the world to the talents that are full of Arab football.
23 teams from the Arab world will participate in the tournament, and their matches will be held at 6 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums, and the tournament will be an ideal opportunity to test the operational processes and facilities, ahead of Qatar organizing the first edition of the FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab world.