Hojgaard takes lead on first day of Qatar masters 2020

Hojgaard takes lead on first day of Qatar masters 2020

 

ARMSTRONG VAS

THE PENINSULA

Danish teenager Nicolai Hojgaard produced a remarkable run of scoring on the back nine to take a one-shot lead at the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha yesterday.

On the first day of the European Tour event, the 18-year-old, runner-up behind Sergio Garcia at the KLM Open last season, started with a seven-under 64 to hit the front at Education City Golf Club.

Hojgaard hit the turn in 35, then birdied seven of the next eight holes before a second bogey of a stunning opening round ensured he had to settle for the slenderest of advantage. “It was a good day,” said Højgaard.

“I started out slow, was playing really bad on the first four, five, six holes - I was still two under at that point but I was just playing it all over the place. My putter was just on fire today, that’s the difference.

“When I came to the back nine I was hitting fairways, hitting it close and rolling the putter. You just hit the button and you keep going. I was hitting the fairway, I was hitting greens, I was getting close on the par fives.

“My putter was just the difference today. I was playing okay with the long game but I was just holing everything. “The back nine is a bit more tricky off the tee so I would say it was more of a three wood on the back nine, I was hitting a lot of three woods and it was pretty good.”

Dutchman Joost Luiten was a shot back, one ahead of Spaniards Jorge Campillo and Carlos Pigem, Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli, Belgian Thomas Pieters, England’s Andy Sullivan and Dane Jeff Winther.

 “I am absolutely pleased. Seven birdies and one dropped shot, it wasn’t really needed that dropped shot coming out of the middle of the fairway but on a golf course like this where it is really tricky on and around the greens, I was out of position, so sometimes you just have to accept the bogey. All in all, I am happy with my game,” Luiten said.

“Yesterday and Tuesday were really bad (winds) so I didn’t do a lot of practise because you can ask yourself if it really helps if you hit into a 50 mile and hour wind on the range. So I tried to stay away from it and played the course, get to know it a bit better and it was beautiful today,” he added.

 “I think on the golf course if you are in the fairway you can be pretty aggressive to the undulated greens. I hit my irons and driver beautiful today which created a lot of chances and I rolled in a couple of putts,” Luiten said.

England’s Marcus Armitage made the first big move of the day, birdieing the second and third and then reeling off a hat-trick from the fifth to get to five under. Armitage, India’s S S P Chawrasia, Scottish pair David Drysdale and Scott Jamieson, South African D a r r e n F i c h a r d t , Frenchman Benjamin Hebert and South Korea’s Kyongjun Moon were three off the lead.

 

 

 

 

Former winner Pepperell disqualified after scoreboard blunder

ARMSTRONG VAS

THE PENINSULA

Former champion Eddie Pepperell’s hopes of collecting a second trophy in Qatar suffered a cruel blow at the Education City Golf Club course as he was disqualified from the European Tour event.

 

The 29-year-old, who did not take part in last year’s event, besides eyeing The Mother of the Pearl Trophy was aiming to climb back into the world’s top 50 in time to qualify for The Masters.

 

The winner of Qatar Masters in 2018, Pepperell was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard, erasing what was an opening-round 71, which was seven off the lead. A mix-up on his scorecard led to his second disqualification from a European Tour event in four months.

 

Pepperell took to Twitter to explain the bizarre situation that led to his disqualification “Quite disappointing as I actually took the time to change the original error, only to make a costlier one myself,”

 

Pepperell tweeted. “I asked the referee if this had any bearing on my disqualification but it didn’t. … The rules are the rules and I 100% accept that, but I can’t help feeling that this particular way of disqualification is a fair distance away from common sense, and that’s also disappointing. I enjoyed the course however and hopefully next time I’ll do a better job,” he said.

 

Pepperell is now struggling to get back in the world’s top 50 in time for The Masters Pepperell, who pulled out of last week’s Oman Open due to coronavirus fears, entered the week ranked 63rd in the world after an erratic start to 2020, missing the cut in South Africa and Abu Dhabi before bouncing back with a tie for 11th at the Dubai Desert Classic.

 

His hopes of making a second appearance at Augusta National next month are now in the balance, as Pepperell would need to be ranked in the world’s top 50 after the WGC Match Play, also an event he is now battling to qualify for. Pepperell’s disqualification in Qatar follows his bizarre early exit in Turkey last November, when he ran out of balls after losing “four or five” in the water at the fourth during the third round and was unable to complete the hole.

 

 

 

Chinese players WTA tour dream on track in face of coronavirus scare

Chinese players WTA tour dream on track in face of coronavirus scare

Chinese tennis players fight off adverse off court conditions to keep WTA dream on track

 

The outbreak of the coronavirus has hit many worldwide sporting events and athletes alike. Chinese sports has taken a big beating with some major sports events having been cancelled or postponed, while, some countries have put restrictions on the Chinese travel plans.

In that sense World No.37 Zheng Saisai is lucky that she is able to compete on the WTA Tour while back home the Xi'an Open has been called off and the Chinese Davis Cup team had to withdraw.

Asked whether she feels that the Chinese athletes have taken the biggest hit of the worldwide scare Zheng said: “I don't know, I think it's just trying to protect athletes, you know, not to affect so much. I really, I don't know, but I just feel, you know, many athlete was working pretty hard and right now with the situation is they can only stay home. So just hope that everything's going to go well very soon and people start to working normal,”

The 26-year-old, a surprise quarter-finalist at the Qatar Total Open, said the Chinese are very ‘pretty strong’ and that ‘people are working pretty hard and try(ing) to find a solution’.

 “It's a pretty sad what's going on right now and it's not looking great, but I mean our Chinese are pretty strong, we always stick together, always going to be together in all these tough moments, just have to be patient,” said Zheng in  response to a question.

Asked if the travel restriction on Chinese nationals has affected her travel plans she said: “I was in Dubai last week, so was fine. Yeah, you know, you see every day some news, it's pretty sad, you know, this start to growing. And hopefully -- I think people are working pretty hard and try to find a solution.”

“It didn't really (affect) me, because I was always traveling for the tournaments, so it didn't bother me so much,” she added.

Zheng’s extended run of three matches at the WTA Tour event was brought to an end by ninth seed Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday. The Belarusian won 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 to advance to the semi-final of the Premier 5 event.

On Wednesday night, the Chinese No.2 had pocketed a thrilling 3-6, 6-3, and 6-4 comeback win over World No.6 Kiki Bertens of The Netherlands.

The good run in Qatar means that Zheng has reached the quarter-finals of the WTA event for the first time in four years.

It was also her 6th career win over world's top-10 players following her victories over Karolina Pliskova (2016), Angelique Kerber (2016), Agnieszka Radwanska (2016), Elina Svitolina (2017) and Sabalenka (2019).

Zheng is now breathing down her compatriot Wang Qiang's neck as her latest heroics in Doha is expected to see her overtake Zhang Shuai to become the second highest-ranked tennis player in China, who has so far won three career singles title.

Kuznetsova eyes another tilt at the top

Kuznetsova eyes another tilt at the top

Two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova – a surprise semi-finalist at this year’s Qatar Total Open is seemingly ready for another tilt at a top-10 position, after a series of highs and lows over the past four years.

The Russian dropped to World No. 107 at the end of 2018 and further slipped to 198 last year after missing the Citi Open in Washington, courtesy of a delayed visa.

But a steady run since then has helped her crack the top-50 which she aims to improve further as the season progresses.

Kuznetsova, winner of the 2009 French Open and the 2004 US Open has not given up on adding another Grand Slam titles to her collection.

“Of course, why not?, the 34-year Russian said in response to a question as to whether she is aiming to win another Grand Slam title.

“They always told me I'm black horse, so I can still be black horse. I always been, when I won French, when I with won US Open, why not?, you never know” she added.

She said the level of the women tennis has gone up and she too has raised the bar.

“The level is tremendously high, I know I am capable of beating top 10 players, but I need to get better. I see things to improve, I already improved a lot from my past years. The level of the game raised a lot and it made me improve my game, because with the level I used to play, with the game strategy I couldn't be winning many matches now. Still, I need to get some things up, “

The World No. 46 Kuznetsova has appeared in four Grand Slam singles finals, winning two, and she has also appeared in seven doubles finals, winning twice. As a doubles player, Kuznetsova has reached the finals of each Grand Slam event at least once, winning the Australian Open twice.               

She said that the competition is very close in the tournaments then it was five or six years back.

“ I always said this, that now it's the level is raised a lot and it's very hard. Like sometimes I say it's no players who really kind of maintain their level, like no first round losses, there is not many players like that. But it's because that tennis is very high level for me right now and it's very competitive sport, we're getting better and better, so that's great for the game.

Born to an athletic family, Kuznetsova moved at the age of seven to Spain to attend the Sanchez-Casal Academy. In 2001, she first took part in a WTA tournament, the Madrid Open, and a year later won her first WTA title at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Helsinki, Finland. Her first appearance in a Grand Slam tournament was at the 2002 Australian Open and her first Grand Slam title came at the 2004 US Open over countrywoman Elena Dementieva, making her the third Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title, after Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova.

 

Pliskova withdraws from Doha with viral illness

Q. Just curious what exactly is wrong and when you started feeling some symptoms and when you started feeling sick.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Actually, from the first day when I arrived, already the day after Fed Cup, I felt after I played my match with Simona, which was super long and tough, so I just felt somehow exhausting.

Yeah, from the first day I was not feeling great and not ready. I have never felt actually this way. It's normal that you are tired, of course, when you are traveling and playing a lot of matches. But I just feel somehow my body is not ready.

I had a temperature few days. I don't have any neck pain or something, but I just feel overall like super tired, and my muscles are just hurting from the morning without even doing anything. So I'm just not able to compete 100% today.

Q. Are these familiar symptoms? Have you felt like this before?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No. Actually, I didn't, but I know there is a lot of viral illness going on, not even here but also in Czech Republic and all Europe. Maybe there is something going on in my body, so I hope I don't just not going to get worse, so that's why I decide to withdraw.

Q. Do you think it would be better to play Fed Cup Friday/Saturday instead of Saturday/Sunday to give the players a better chance to recover for the next tournament?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Of course I think it would be better. Of course it's tough to say right now. Now I would maybe appreciate one more day for traveling and this, because then every time it's super hard to, you know, always find connections to the tournaments, especially here, it's not that close.

Yeah. But it's always my choice, so I don't have to play Fed Cup if I don't feel like to play, you know. So I think it's better if you want to play Doha/Dubai to don't play Fed Cup, because otherwise last year I was sick here, too, so I think it's just very tough scheduling by playing these weeks summer and winter and then you come here outside so the body not always has to take it.

Q. Maybe the ITF can change the schedules of Fed Cup?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I know the Davis Cup they did it. I know for sure everything is possible, but I don't know how many players, like if the players are fighting for this or not. I think it would help, but so far what I know the systems should be somehow changing from next year completely, so let's see.

Q. Just on that question of the Fed Cup, would you like to see it in the new format that the Davis Cup has?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I don't really know and I don't follow -- I know there was this, you know, the first round and everybody then goes to the World Group. Maybe it's better to play less weeks. I don't know.

I always said like the Fed Cup it can help you or it can destroy you, because there is a lot of emotions and always like a lot of tough matches. Especially if you play in your country, then the pressure is huge. Just right now, I don't think like it really helped me, although the matches were great and the atmosphere too. I think if there is maybe less days or less weeks for us, then it would be better.

Q. You're the fifth player to withdraw from this tournament this week. Do you think the players should take more responsibility over these withdrawals? The tournament organizers obviously organize with big-star names such as yourself. People buy tickets to see players such as yourselves, and now they are turning up to see replacements. Do you think players, if they have any concerns or fears that they cannot play, should be more honest before a tournament?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: But I think everybody, so far everybody who withdraw was here. So I don't see any reason. I think they tried till the last moment, so I don't see any reason why somebody should be playing tournaments by being sick or by being injured.

It's a risk in the future tournaments or in the future career. I don't know which risk you want to put on us, but I think everybody pays fine if they withdraw. Maybe not once per year, but every time, if we do it more, then yes, so I think that's enough.

I don't know what else you want to do. If the players are sick, what can they do? Of course everybody was here, so I guess everybody wanted to compete. I came here, so I don't came here only just to see the tournament or to practice one day, but if it's not possible, it's not possible. I think you cannot do anything against this.

Q. Can you say when the player arrives at that decision about not wanting to play? I mean, is it on the day of the match, or do you feel like that leading up to it? And also, regarding your earlier answer about the Fed Cup, do you feel fewer weeks would help because of emotional investment playing for your country is so great as against, you know, maybe the physical?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I don't know. I think it's personal, so I think somebody -- I just tried at the last moment. Even today I went on court. I just tried to hit full, at least 10, 15 minutes. I just said, This is not possible to play this level.

And my draw is tough, so I think if I'm not 100%, I cannot win any match here. That's why I decided to not play.

Also, I'm not the type of player which goes on court and retire after two games. So I said maybe it's better that somebody else plays. But, you know, it can be different every time. Depends how you feel. Maybe if you feel completely sick on Monday, then -- but I just tried to at least give few days more and maybe I feel better but I didn't, actually.

And about Fed Cup, this is maybe for a longer talks, because it can, like I said, it can destroy you, because to travel the day after when you play match three hours against Halep, it's not the best, for sure, not the best for my body, not the best for my career, not the best for this tournament, of course.

So if I can choose, I would of course take one more extra week in between these tournaments and Fed Cup, but that's how it is. I told you I don't have to play Fed Cup. I don't have to play here. So I can do my schedule by myself, you know.

But I was defending champion here last year, so I decided, like, this year I'm going to try again, because I like this tournament. Every time I try to come. But it's a question mark for the next years.

Q. The people who bought tickets today will see a Pliskova playing today because your sister is in as a lucky loser in your place. Were you surprised to hear about that? Did you speak to her before you withdrew?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, actually as there were two more players in front of her, so I didn't know they were not here, so she was still third on the list because she lost actually in the second round of qualifying, so I think this is not really usual that she gets in. Normally only the final rounds gets in.

I talked a little bit. I just saw her, just met her. She knew I'm not feeling great from the first day. But I never thought that she can get in because of me, but there was so many players which withdraw, so in the end, it end up like this, which is unlucky.

I think if she would sign yesterday, Kristyna, she would get in, because nobody really signed again. I think nobody was expecting that many withdrawals, so a lot of players get in.

Barcelona sign Senegal's World Cup star Wague

Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign former Aspire Football Dreams-player and Senegal intternational Moussa Wague, according to the official site of the Spanish club.

The clubs and the 19-year-old right-back have agreed today and the corresponding formalities will be settled in the coming days.

However, the fee hasn’t been revealed and he is yet to sign the contract, but that will be done in the next few days. He has completed his medical, on Friday morning and will train with his team for the first time at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on Saturday.

The announcement came through the Barcelona B Twitter account, so he will be part of that team at the start, but he could graduate into the senior squad.

Wague is relatively inexperienced at the senior level because he only played 23 league and cup matches for Eupen as well as 17 Europa League qualifying games. Although, he did impress with Senegal at the World Cup.

 Before moving to Belgium club, Wague was trained at the Aspire Academy Senegal.

 Wague made his international breakthrough at the 2018 World Cup with the Senegalese national team. At the World Cup tournament, he played two matches in his country’s starting team and played in the third group match for 15 minutes. With his goal against Japan, Moussa Wague became Africa’s youngest scorer of all time, at just 19 years, 8 months and 20 days old.

KAS Eupen is a Belgian professional football club that currently plays in the ‘Jupiler Pro League’ (1st Division) and serves an important role in the philosophy of Qatar’s Aspire Academy: The club, in which the football related activities of the club were taken over by AZF in 2012 while still playing in the 2nd Division, functions as a stepping stone for Aspire's local Qatari players as well as 'Aspire Football Dreams' scholarship players to guarantee a smooth and successful transition from youth to professional football.

When Aspire Zone Foundation became the new owner of KAS Eupen in June 2012, the initial response from the city on the German-Belgian border, population 18,000, was reserved. But the foreign investor from distant Qatar was soon recognized as a highly professional partner – one who laid solid foundations for future success, modernised the structure and organisation of the club, quickly earned trust by honouring current contracts and bolstered the team by recruiting a raft of new players who had previously been part of the football programme of Aspire Academy in Doha or 'Aspire Football Dreams' in Senegal.

Qatar football league kicks from Saturday

Al Sailiya vs Umm Salal

The clash between Al Sailiya and Umm Salal will evoke keen interest among the fans.

Al Sailiya were in the fourth place for most part of last season, but were pushed behind by Umm Salal in the fight for the fifth spot. In fact, The Orange Fortress were very much in the race for the fourth position, which they lost to Al Gharafa.

Al Sailiya retained the services of Algerian Nadir Belhadj and signed Moroccan striker Rachid Tiberkanine from Al Kharaitiyat.

Umm Salal have kept Ivorian Yannick Sagbo, Syrian Mahmoud Mawas and Moroccan Adel Rhaili on their roster while adding Nigerian striker Christian Osaguona.

Al Sailiya coach

Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Umm Salal.

“We have concluded our preparations in a better way ahead of the start of new season even though the preparatory period was short. I hope we will have a better campaign this time than we had last season, where we could have finished in a better position than sixth.

“We have to be very strong and must show more character in order to achieve more and more positive results. We must also play with strong determination in all matches to collect points. Our target is again the top four.

“We have two good strikers in Rachid Tiberkanine (who played for Al Kharaitiyat last season) and Abdelqadir ilyas, who last played for Al Markhiya. Rachid is an opportunistic striker who can win matches on his own. Abdelqadir has also proved his mettle. We are counting on them to deliver the goods mainly.

“We have many better solutions this season. We are facing a tough start, against Umm Salal who are strong in all departments of the game. They have retained most of their players. We will analyse our game after the first four matches when we will have a break,” said Trabelsi.

Umm Salal coach Laurent Banide 

Umm Salal coach Laurent Banide spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Sailiya.

“All games are difficult, but things are in our hands to a great extent, especially at the start of the season. We have to embark on our campaign on a confident note.

“We must perform well. We are trying to strike the right balance between attack and defence. We must create enough scoring opportunities and capitalise on them.

“We will see if the team is able to provide a good level. We had a good camp in the pre-season and we seek to implement the strategies on the field. 

“The season is sure to be tough and we have to be prepared for the gruelling games.

“We missed out on the fourth position to Al Gharafa very narrowly last season. We will try to be in the top four this time. We have the players to deliver the goods. Most of them are staying from last year,” said Banide.

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Al Arabi vs Al Khor

Al Arabi overcame first-phase slump and finished a creditable seventh last season, thanks to Croatian coach Luka Bonacic’s damage-control exercises.

The Dream Team have recruited three new professionals — Iraqi Ahmed Ibrahim, Brazilian Mailson de Farias and Colombian Franco.

Al Khor are under a new coach — Tunisian Adel Sellimi who replaced compatriot Nassif Al Bayawi when the latter left for Al Kharaitiyat. They mainly have Iraqis Ahmed Yasin and Rebin Sulaka, as well as Brazil’s Diego Oksta and Gabon’s Ulysse Nadong to deliver the goods.

Al Arabi coach

Al Arabi coach Luka Bonacic spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Khor.

“New season brings something new. We made many changes last season, with seven or eight players being replaced. We have made some changes this time as well. But then, many changes have been made at Al Arabi over the past few seasons. Players leaving the club is not under my control. It is up to the team management.

“Some of our overseas professional players arrived only two weeks ago. That is not ample time for them to adapt to the squad. I hope they will settle into their stride sooner rather than later.

“As a coach, I implement my plans slowly. I am happy that I could change the fortunes of Al Arabi ever since I took over the team last season. The seventh-place finish was very satisfying.

“Had we been starting by the middle of September, I could have found more solutions. We go into our first match on Saturday and we had to act fast.

“The first three or four games is not about quality of the team. It’s more about players adapting to the situation,” said Bonacic.

Al Khor coach speaks

Al Khor coach Adel Sellimi spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Arabi.

“We are ready to take on Al Arabi. We had successful preparations during the pre-season camp in the Netherlands, where the new players combined well with team-mates.

“Our professional player quota is now complete. We have bolstered the squad by replacing Brazilian midfielder Madson with Iraqi medio Ahmed Yasin. Another Iraqi player Rebin Sulaka, Brazil’s Diego Costa and Gabon’s Ulysse Nadong are also on our roster.

“We are not worried about playing in the hot weather as the matches will be played in air-conditioned venues,” said Sellimi.

Al Khor captain Nayef Al Breiki said, “All our players are determined to provide a good display. Most of the clubs have strengthened their ranks, so we have to be focused on achieving victories.”

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Al Gharafa vs Qatar SC

Al Gharafa, who finished fourth last season, would look for a good performance this season as well. And for that, they need to make a winning start to their campaign as they take on Qatar SC, who ended up 10th last time.

Al Gharafa are under new coach Christian Gourcuff and have the likes of Dutch star Wesley Sneijder, Iranian Mehdi Taremi and Slovenian Vladimir Weiss in their ranks.

Qatar SC, coached by Abdullah Mubarak, have new recruits Hussein Ali, Alaeddin Al Dali and Brazilian Dodo in the company of Osama Omari as overseas players.

The encounter between Al Gharafa and Qatar SC on Saturday, 4th August, will herald the start of 2018-19 QNB Stars League season. The kick-off is at 17:35 at the Al Sadd Stadium.

The match assumes great importance to both teams as it is crucial for them to make a winning start to the new campaign.

Both Al Gharafa and Qatar SC are sure to go all out and seek full points.

Al Gharafa, who just about managed to finish fourth last season and thereby qualified for the elite Qatar Cup, have Frenchman Christian Gourcuff at the helm. He replaced Turk Bulent Uygun, who joined them midway through last season and helped The Cheetahs go up from the seventh position where the team stood at the end of first phase.

Al Gharafa have the likes of Dutch attacking midfielder and FIFA World Cup runner-up Wesley Sneijder, Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi and Slovakian midfielder Vladimir Weiss, who missed most of last season with an injury.

Qatar SC, who languished at the bottom half early last season, did quite well ever since Qatari coach Abdulla Mubarak replaced Argentinian Gabriel Calderon. The Kings, who once stared at relegation, eventually ended up 10th.

Abdulla is known to bring the best out of his players and that helped the side a lot in last season’s QNB Stars League.

Qatar SC made an overhaul of their squad by replacing three foreign players. They roped in Hussein Ali, Alaeddin Al Dali and Brazilian Dodo while retaining Syrian Osama Omari.

Al Rayyan will definitely look to begin their campaign in the 2018-19 QNB Stars League season on a winning note when they take on Al Ahli on Sunday, 5th August. The kick-off is at 19:45 at the Al Sadd Stadium.

Al Rayyan are on a high after winning the season-opening Sheikh Jassim Cup by beating Al Duhail on Wednesday, 1st August.

The Lions were even in the title race initially last season, but faded out in the face of marauding run by eventual champions Al Duhail and finished behind runners-up Al Sadd.

Al Rayyan underwent a slump in form and had many injury setbacks as they exited in the group stage of AFC Champions League along with Al Gharafa, while Al Duhail and Al Sadd advanced to the knockout round.

This time around, Al Rayyan are under new coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena in place of Michael Laudrup and they would look to put all such disappointments behind.

They suffered a blow as Abderrazaq Hamdallah, their top scorer last season, is a doubtful starter as he is still nursing an injury. Al Rayyan may even look to replace the Moroccan striker. Mohsen Moutaouli moved to Al Ahli, while Uruguayan defender Gonzalo Vieira and South Korean Koh Myong-Jin stayed with them.

Al Ahli would be eager to improve on their ninth-place finish last season. The Brigadiers have bolstered their ranks with Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong as well as medio Omid Ebrahimi and defender Mohammad Reza, both from Iran.

Qatar SC coach speaks

Qatar SC coach Abdulla Mubarak spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Gharafa.

“The preparatory period was very short. One month was not enough for the players to gear up for the season. However, we could make an elaborate plan for the tournament.

“We made the best use of our time. We played six friendly games and tried out three different combinations. All players were seen in action and I am so happy that they adapted well.

“We have tried to strike the right balance in our squad. We are up against a strong team (Al Gharafa) in the first match. But it is better to face Al Gharafa than facing Al Duhail at the very start of the season.

“Al Gharafa had put up a strong performance against CS Sfaxien (Tunisian club) at the Salalah tournament in Oman recently. But we are confident. We have set our targets and everyone in the club will be responsible to achieve them.

“My ambition is to put Qatar SC in the top rung of the QNB Stars League. To be among the top four is a difficult target to achieve. For that, we must double our efforts,” said Abdulla.

Al Gharafa coach Christian Gourcuff spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Qatar SC.

“All teams are staying focused, particularly at the beginning of the new season. And we are no different. We are concentrating much on our game against Qatar SC.

“We had a very good training camp in the Netherlands ahead of the start of the new season. And then, we played in a tournament in Salalah, Oman. We want to see how we can improve on our game further.

“In the league, you can get bad results sometimes. My life has always been about football, be it a player or coach. One or two games is not a period to assess a team’s overall level.

“I like to win every game. For that matter, all sides would like to win. You can win matches if you play good football. We hope to win Saturday’s match and thus make a strong start to our campaign.

“All my players are ready to take on Qatar SC,” said Gourcuff.

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Al Kharaitiyat coach Nassif Al Bayawi 

Al Kharaitiyat coach Nassif Al Bayawi spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Sadd.

“We have great confidence in our players and we will try to take advantage of our strong points. We have analysed the strengths and weaknesses of other teams and we will try to put up a strong performance than we did last season.

“We don’t like to compare the teams in the QNB Stars League. This is new season and we must start afresh. We have a new team with some new players. We will explore the possibilities to improve our position. Nothing is impossible.

“We hope to achieve our target without much difficulty. We have good support from the club administration. I take this opportunity to thank my players for all the efforts they put up in the pre-season.

“This is going to be one of the tough seasons and many teams will suffer.  In the QNB Stars League, only four teams play for top positions and the rest all belong to the lower tier. We are trying to be the best among the rest. That will depend on many factors. We lost (Rachid) Tiberkanine to Al Sailiya and we hope to make up for his absence,” said Al Bayawi.

Al Ahli coach Milan Macala 

Al Ahli coach Milan Macala spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Rayyan.

“First of all, congratulations to our rivals Al Rayyan on winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup, the season opener in Qatar. From our side, it is not easy to begin the new season. We only started our preparations on 1st of July. From the outset, we had problems. It is a complicated situation.

“Our professional players joined the squad only late and I hope we put up a better performance than we did last season. I also hope they all gel well with the team. We are trying to find out the best combinations that suit us.

“The new players in the squad must adapt to the situation sooner. I am sure they have the potential to do so. If all things fall in place, we can seek a better position. The fifth or even fourth spot is not impossible for us.

“Basically, we have to compensate for the short preparatory period and get the side ready for the tougher battles,” said Macala.

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Al Rayyan coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena

Al Rayyan coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Ahli.

“We could not have sought a better start to the new season than we had with the Sheikh Jassim Cup triumph. That has tremendously boosted our players’ confidence. More importantly, beating Al Duhail has helped us stand in good stead.

“I would say the Sheikh Jassim Cup is a closed chapter now and we have to turn a new leaf with regard to the QNB Stars League. It’s going to be a difficult game against Al Ahli. They had played some tough games last season, I understand.

“However, I have confidence in my players. I do not want to make tall claims at the start of a fresh league season. We only had 20 to 25 days together to prepare for the tournament.

“You have to work and work, correct the mistakes and improve the game. At the moment, we are not worried about victory or defeat. We are in the process of building a formidable side.

“The first priority goes to the players. Coach comes only after that. I want our results to speak for us,” said Arruabarrena.

Al Shahania coach Jose Murcia 

Al Shahania coach Jose Murcia spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Al Duhail.

“We did a good job in the pre-season camp. We hope to build on our strong preparations and do a good job on our return to the QNB Stars League.

“We retained the services of all our overseas professional players even though we have added some new Qatari players to the squad. I hope they gel well with the foreign recruits sooner rather than later. I am sure they will combine well and lift their game when it matters the most.

“We will try to improve our game after every week and thus provide a good level of football. I have great confidence in our players. They are a spirited lot.

“I coached the team in the Second Division and know the players well. Even though the top flight is a different ball game altogether, we are upbeat about our prospects,” said Murcia.