The 2018 Workers’
Cup came to a thrilling end last night as thousands of fans enjoyed a
memorable night of football inside Al Duhail Stadium, where Al Nakheel
Landscapes were crowned champions of the sixth edition of the
tournament. They defeated Doha Pest Control Team 2-0.
A near capacity
crowd of almost 7,500 people watched the proceedings which concluded
ended with a spectacular prize?giving ceremony.
The match was
attended by HE Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi, Minister of
Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs. The final victory
was also watched by Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme
Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Nasser al-Khater, Assistant
Secretary-General for Tournament Affairs at the SC, Khalid al-Kubaisi,
Chief of Advisory Unit & Special Projects at the SC, Sakis Batsilas,
Tournament Operations & Planning Executive Director, Ahmad
al-Thani, Head of Sport Events in the SC, and Xavi Hern?ndez, the SC
Ambassador.
The showpiece final was also attended by Abdulla
al-Hammadi, Executive Director of Operations in QSL, Hassan Rabiah
al-Kuwari, Executive Director of Marketing in QSL, Mohamed Ahmed
Abdullah, Executive Director of Competitions and Sports Affairs in QSL,
Mansour al-Ansari, Secretary-General of QFA as well as more than 25
ambassadors and diplomats.
The SC collaborated with the QSL to
sponsor the Workers’ Cup for a sixth year this year as part of its
ongoing commitment to use football as a tool to accelerate social and
human development.
In his remarks after the final match, Hassan
al-Thawadi, Secretary-General of the SC said: “It is such an honour to
witness the incredible passion both on the pitch and in the stands
during this tournament, which keeps getting bigger and better every
year. Congratulations to Al Nakheel Landscapes team for a hard-earned
victory. I hope them, their colleagues and everyone who’s been involved
with this year’s tournament has a chance to celebrate this achievement.”
Nasser al-Khater, Assistant Secretary-General for Tournament
Affairs at the SC, said: “Our support for the Workers’ Cup stems from
our promise to use football as an inspirational means of encouraging
social integration across Qatar’s rich expatriate community. This
tournament is a great example of that promise in action, because you can
see how the Workers’ Cup brings people together. Initiatives like this
form a vital part of our preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in
Qatar.”
The QSL’s Executive Director of Marketing, Hassan Rabiah
al-Kuwari, said the Workers’ Cup had grown significantly since 2013 to
become a major football event.
“The QSL is proud to support a
tournament which uses the power of football to support positive social
change in the country,” said al-Kuwari.
“The Workers’ Cup continues to go from strength to strength and is now a much-anticipated annual event.”
Al-Kuwari
continued: “We look forward to continuing our Workers’ Cup journey with
the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy as we support the
delivery of the 2022 World Cup and its associated legacy projects.”
This
year’s tournament saw over 640 players in 32 teams competing. 12 of
these teams were current or former contractors on 2022 FIFA World Cup
projects and 7 were engaged with the SC’s flagship CSR programme,
Generation Amazing.
Al Nakheel Landscapes players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Workers’ Cup at the Al Duhail Stadium yesterday. PICTURES: Shaji Thottathil