Treasure trove of talents, says Al Mannai
Competitions Manager Hamad Saleh Al Mannai said the tournament would be a treasure trove of talents.
Al Mannai was speaking to Doha Stadium Plus after the Technical Committee meeting held at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Doha on Saturday.
“All arrangements, including accommodation, transport and training, were discussed and the team officials have expressed satisfaction with them. We also discussed the rules and regulations, team colours and the like,” said Al Mannai.
“It would be a good platform for upcoming players to perform while it’ll provide coaches with a good chance to watch their boys display their skills.
“We aren’t giving importance to results. Rather than results, we would like to witness the display and development of skills and techniques. We’ve top teams from four continents, so a wide variety of styles will be a major attraction.
“The tournament is sure to see many exciting battles. It forms a part of our run-up to hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, so we also want to showcase our facilities and organisational abilities to the world,” he said.
Al Mannai, who is also Chairman of the Qatar Stars League’s (QSL) Competitions Committee and QSL Management’s Sport Director, said the event was here to stay and that the age category for each year would be decided later.
“This’ll be an annual affair. We’ll review the tournament and, later on, decide on the age category for the future editions,” he said.
The experienced administrator added that efforts had been made to attract spectators to the matches.
“We’ve made tie-ups with various schools across Qatar, wherein schoolchildren will be able to enjoy the matches especially since this is a youth tournament. We’re also providing the fans with lots of entertainment. A fan zone is created near the pitch,” he concluded.
