‘Lekhwiya’s players are among best in the league’

File picture of Lekhwiya team during a training session.

By Sports Reporter/DohaLekhwiya Team Manager Walid Bakhit has said that the team’s training sessions are going well in Turkey as the team prepares for the new season. On the club’s official website he said, “The preparations commenced in Doha back in early July and has been going on until now. This has been a very beneficial overseas camp.”Commenting on his expectations for the new season, he said, “The competition during the coming season will be very tough especially with the return of Al Rayyan, also Al Sadd and El Jaish have made some good buys during the summer.”When asked about player transfers Bakhit pointed out that Lekhwiya is seeking stability and said, “I don’t think that signing lots of players during the transfer window is something positive, but it is better to buy for specific positions within the team. Lekhwiya has brought in only one player; we signed Muntari and also regained players who were on loan such as Ahmed Abdel Maqsoud, Khalfan and Lassana.”Walid praised the performance of the four foreign players and said: “As I indicated before, the team is looking for stability and the current professional players are demonstrating good performances with the team and I believe they are among the top players in the Qatar Stars League, so why change something that isn’t broken?”Commenting on the return of Belmadi to the team, he added, “Belmadi returned to his home, and I believe he is the best choice for the team during the coming period. He was the head coach before and we achieved good results with him and most of the players trained with him whether at the club or with the National Team.”Al Rayyan lose to Ajax reserve team in Holland Al Rayyan gained valuable experience from their friendly match against Ajax Amsterdam reserves; the match was played yesterday evening and ended 1-0 to the Dutch side.Al Rayyan players demonstrated good performance during the game despite the loss and the head coach Fossati was able to try-out several players.The team started the match with Omar Bari, Mohamed Jumaa, Abdel Hamid Enad, Nathan, Moussa Haroun, Hamed Ismail, Pascu, Hamad al-Obaidi, Tabata, Ahmed Alaa and Garcia.The first minutes of the game were tough and strong from the Dutch side that scored in just the 3rd minute of the first half, after which Al Rayyan pressured as they looked to get a goal back. They had many opportunities and on the 12th minute almost levelled the scores.During the second half Head coach Fossati fielded three new players in the form of Saoud al-Hajri, Daniel Gomou and Mohamed Alaa. They replaced Omar Bari, Hamad al-Obaidi and Abdel Hamid Enad.On the 47th minute, Ajax goalkeeper saved a shot from Tabata, and then new signing Garcia went just wide of the post with his shot.  Fossati made a further two substitutions with Farid Hamed and Abdel Majid Enad replacing Ahmed Alaa and Pascu.After that Fossati changed the formation and fielded Khalifa al-Ammari, Baru Siddiki, Abdel Rahman al-Kurbi, Abdel Hamid Enad, Sayyaf al-Kurbi, Mohamed al-Neili, Moaz Youssef and Abdel Karim Salem.Regaining the league title is our main target: Sadd’s Talal al-BoloshiAl Sadd team captain Talal al-Boloshi revealed his happiness for the acquisition of the Spanish superstar Xavi, who signed for the team earlier this summer. He went on to speak about Xavi’s professionalism and commitment to the cause, saying that he displayed all the key attributes of a leader during the team’s overseas training camp in Austria.He said, “Xavi is a big player and a legend and it is such an honour to play beside him. He proved that he is worthy of the captaincy, all the players are very happy to have him here.”He added that Xavi is treating everyone with respect including the young players and that he is keen to get to know his new teammates. The player also spoke about the team’s preparations for the new season, “We thank Allah for how things are going so far especially with the stability of the coaching staff at the club. Moroccan Head Coach Hussein Ammota is now in his fourth consecutive year; all the players can thrive in such a stable environment.”Commenting on whether Al Sadd is capable of regaining the league title, the defensive midfielder added, “Definitely Al Sadd will be ready for the new Qatar Stars League season, it’s the team’s main target. We will do our best to regain the league title which has eluded us for the past two seasons.”Sebastian Soria: “It’s time for the title to come home to Al Rayyan”Sebastian Soria expressed his joy and happiness at joining Al Rayyan, saying that the target of the team is to win the league title. Here are excerpts from his interview to the club’s official website.  Firstly, how do you feel after signing for Al Rayyan?It’s a happy and joyful day for me and my family. Joining such a big club is very crucial for my career after playing for Al Gharafa, Qatar SC and Lekhwiya. I am happy to be part of this new look side.What are the reasons behind your decision to sign with Al Rayyan?Al Rayyan is setting a new project in motion, with the summer signings. We will have good players under the leadership of Fossati who is a good coach and knows the league well. Seeing other big players signing and Fossati was enough to make me believe in the project.What did Fossati say to you?Fossati spoke to me and encouraged me to return to Qatar with Al Rayyan. I have previously represented the Qatar National Team under his supervision in 2008 so I like working with him.What are your ambitions for the new season with the team?In the beginning I wish to demonstrate the kind of performance expected from me. My ambition with Al Rayyan is to regain the titles this club used to have.Do you expect Al Rayyan to win the league title this season?It is important for the football team to win the league title, it has been 20 years. In particular with the new project adopted by the club’s management and by that I mean the signing of the best local and foreign players as well as the experienced technical staff that we have then I feel we have a solid foundation to build from.How would you accomplish this?Through hard work, all the players will have to reach their top level of performance to do this. Also Fossati has a prominent role in developing the team’s performance. His influence is crucial.What about Al Rayyan fans?I have played for Al Gharafa, Qatar SC and Lekhwiya, but when I saw how Al Rayyan used to win due to their support, I admired that a lot, particularly in the final match of Emir Cup when their fans fill the stadium. Rayyan has the biggest fan base in Qatar and everyone knows this, I hope they come out in support during the new season.Qatar juniors set for Mexico International ChampionshipQatar U-16 team, which will be joined by teams from Panama, Canada, Bermuda besides hosts Mexico in a five-nation event – are busy training ahead of next week’s event.The five-nation Mexico International Championship will be held from August 5 to 9.Qatar launched their training on July 27 and will end their preparation on August 4, Qatar Football Association (QFA) officials said on Sunday.The team has been undergoing training on a daily basis, team officials added.The squad has also played a couple of friendlies that ended in draws.During their current visit the Qatar squad and backroom staff also visited the Estadio Azteca, the venue of the 1986 FIFA World Cup final.Qatar take on Canada on August 6 followed by a game against Bermuda on August 7. Qatar face Panama on August 8.The event in Mexico City will be used to gain match practice for this month’s Gulf Junior Championship to be held in Doha from August 20-29.  Qatar squad:Saud Mansora, Mohamed Mamdouh Abdel Wahab, Saleh Saeed, Mohammed Essam El-Din, Hamdi Adam, Abdulaziz al-Kathiri, Khaled Mohammed, Mohammed, Jabr al-Kubaisi, Mohammed Abdul Latif Rahman, Ahmed Ganha, Saqr Nasser, al-Hitmi, Khalid Shams, Nasser Nasser al-Enezi, Khaled Helal, Mohammed, Khaled, Nasser Abdullah Saad al-Sulaiti, Talal Ibrahim Ismail, Karbi, Tamim Saleh and Ibrahim Mohammed Jahromi.