Tough season for Rayyan, admits official

With Al Rayyan not collecting any trophies this season, the club’s head of Football Ali Afifa admitted that the season has been disappointing for the Lions.
“We were contenders in all the competitions we took part in, what makes us sad the fact that we concluded this season with no titles in hand,” Afifa said on the sidelines of the recent QFA Awards.
Talking about the team’s QSL campaign, Afifa said, “We had a tough start and then came the change of the team head coach with Fossati moving to the Qatar national team. We moved quickly and signed Michael Laudrup. But the players needed some time to adapt to Laudrup’s method and system. I think that after that period we really improved and we got much better in the final rounds.
“One of the plus points is that we finished within the top four. This means a chance to take part in the AFC Champions League next season. That is an important long-term goal of the club.”
Asked whether ending the current season without any titles will motivate the team in the new season, he said, “Each and every season we prepare ourselves for competing for all titles. We always need titles and Al Rayyan will be stronger and better in the coming season.”
Ahead of the new season, Al Rayyan will convene their international training camp in the Netherlands.
The club also announced that it has signed former El Jaish player Abderrazak Hamdallah for two seasons. The Moroccan striker will replace Spanish striker Sergio Garcia, who returned to Spanish side Espanyol.
“He (Hamdallah) is a terrific player, who was the top goal scorer with Tabata during the 2015-16 season. He missed many matches with his team during this season due to injury. I wish him all the best with Al Rayyan.”
Afif also had some warm words for Garcia, saying; “There is no doubt that Garcia was a key player for the team. He is well-disciplined and experienced. He surely served the team well and it is a loss seeing him leave.”