Nakheel Landscapes won the Workers’ Cup 2017, which is organised by Qatar Starts League (QSL) and sponsored by the Supreme Committee (SC) for Delivery and Legacy, on Friday.
Nakheel won the title after beating Al Asmakh Facilities Management 3-0 in the final, which was played at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium. After the final, the players were handed the medals and trophy by QSL CEO Hani Taleb Ballan, SC assistant secretary general Nasser al-Khater, SC’s chief of Advisory Unit and Special Projects Khalid al-Kubaisi, and Communication & Marketing director Hassan Rabia al-Kuwari.
Al-Khater said that the competition has developed by leaps and bounds since it was first established. This was evident by the total number of teams participating, which increased to 32 teams. He was delighted with the success of the fifth edition and noted that both finalists deserved to be there this year. Al-Khater was also thrilled with big number of fans who flocked to watch the final; a testament to the success of the competition this year.
He announced that they were studying the increase in the number of participating teams next year, in light of this year’s interest from different companies. He added that finalising such plans requires looking into a number of aspects, including the stadiums among other things.
Ballan, meanwhile, expressed his delight at how the Workers’ Cup in its fifth edition progressed. He said that prior to the start of the competition, they wanted matches this year to be on par with the local league. He added that this was the least that could be done for workers who are passionately building the country’s infrastructure. He said that the goal of the competition since its establishment was to engage workers in the country’s infrastructure projects for the World Cup 2022.
He noted that all the players who took part this year, 600 of them, have been insured in case they get injured or suffer any accident. This was done to allow workers to play without fear or stress that their future could be harmed in any way. He said that workers were one of the biggest segments in the Qatari society, and social responsibility made organising a competition for them a must. He noted that they will start evaluating the competition technically in order to develop it further in the coming years.
For his part, al-Kuwari also expressed his happiness that Workers’ Cup was a success. He noted that the number of teams this year increased from 24 to 32. He added that QSL will look to develop the competition in different ways next year. For this year, he added, the goal was to make the fans and players happy.
He noted that there was bigger interest in providing better training and physiotherapy to the players this year. He added that the participation of 600 players this year was a new record.
The Workers’ Cup has emerged as an integral part of Qatar’s domestic football calendar, with the final day last year on 8 May drawing a crowd of 11,000 to Al Ahli Stadium. The 80-match competition was contested by 32 teams this year, eight more than in 2016. The 600 football-loving workers from around the world got the chance to showcase their skills. Of the 32 teams that participated, 15 have a connection with the SC.