The Secretary-General of the Gulf Football Federation (GFA) Jassim al-Rumaihi said that the federation had agreed in advance with all the Gulf associations’ presidents in Bahrain on the date of the Gulf Cup draw, which is scheduled for September 25 in Doha.
The Gulf Cup will be held from December 23rd to January 5th, with Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Iraq and Yemen and hosts Qatar making up the line-up. Invitations will be sent to all participating teams to attend the draw two weeks before the event, al-Rumaihi said in a statement. “We, as a Gulf Federation, are working with the organising associations in accordance with the agreement in place until the vision becomes clearer. Our work is ongoing and there are no delays,” he said.
Al-Rumaihi added that all Gulf associations have been approached and the invitations have been sent in advance. The teams have all agreed to participate in the competition a year ago. The regulations stipulate that invitations should be sent by the organising country one year before the tournament begins.
Al-Rumaihi said that the Gulf Federation is interested in organising the 23rd edition of the Gulf Football Cup and has no relation with the siege, that Qatar is currently placed by its neighbours, and GFA stays clear from political matters.
“We are talking here about organising the tournament, whether in Qatar or in a second country,” he said. “If the tournament is held in another Gulf country, GFA will be working as a federation in the same way and according to the regulations and the statutes. The Gulf Federation is a neutral body that has nothing to do with what is happening in the political arena and as a sports federation we wish the participation of all teams in the tournament,” he added.
The Secretary-General of GFA said that the federation has addressed all the Gulf associations in order to participate and the request was approved. In the case a team does not participate, al-Rumaihi said, the decision will be taken by GFA president in consultation with the presidents of the Gulf associations.
“We as the organising federation of the championship are keen on holding the event and the draw be held in Qatar. But the the final decision belongs to the committee,” said al-Rumaihi.
When asked about the concerns related to participation of Kuwait, which has been suspended by global football body FIFA, al-Rumaihi said that the Gulf state will find a solution to the problem. “There are positive signs happening on the front,” he added.
Al-Rumaihi revealed that the preparations are in placed to conduct the championship. Ahead of the draw, a meeting various will be held by at Qatar Football Federation’s headquarters.



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