Tough draw for Banks and Financial Institutions League

The draw of the 4th Banks and Financial Institutions League was held yesterday at Rotana City Center Hotel and revealed strong competition in the upcoming league. The draw took place in the presence of Khalid Mubarak al-Kuwari, Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) Director of Marketing and Communications, Salah Salman al-Mohannadi, Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) Head of Training and Development, and Tournament Director, Ali al-Ethba, Qatar Central Bank’s Head of Government Relations.The draw was also attended by representatives of the participating teams from the banking and financial sector and a number of media outlets. The draw was conducted by Hussein al-Sharshani, the league’s general supervisor and Ahmed al-Rumaihi, representative of the QFA’s Competitions and Players Affairs Department, with the participation of former Qatari football stars Khalid Salman and Adel Khamis. The QFA is organising the fourth edition of the league for the first time as part of its’ ongoing efforts in co-operating with government entities in the country and its’ 2021 vision to organise various football activities for the different segments of the community. QFA’s involvement in the league highlights the influential role of the banking and financial sector in the country and demonstrates QFA’s objective to encourage greater community participation in football. The league, which will be held on the training field of Al Gharafa Sports Club, will feature the participation of 24 teams and kick off on February 2 as part of QFA’s activities for the National Sports Day.The 7-a-side league will start with group stage matches in which the first and second place teams of each of the four groups will qualify to the quarter-finals which will be held on 16th February. The semi-finals will take place on February 18 while the final and third place match will be held on 20th February. A press conference was held following the draw and was attended by Khalid Mubarak al-Kuwari, Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) Director of Marketing and Communications and Salah Salman al-Mohannadi, Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) Head of Training and Development, and Tournament Director in which they discussed the rules and regulations of the league in addition to the objectives both organisations wish to achieve through organising the league.Khalid Mubarak al-Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Qatar Football Association said: “We value the relationship and co-operation we have with the Qatar Central Bank to organise this tournament, which illustrates QFA’s keenness in supporting football activities organised in the State. Organising this edition for the first time is the beginning of a fruitful co-operation with a leading institution such as the Qatar Central Bank.”He added: “This league demonstrates our commitment to support community programs in the country by spreading football amongst all sectors of the community and government entities. This is in accordance with the directives received by the President of the QFA, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, who sees social responsibility programmes and activities as extremely important.”Salah Salman al-Mohannadi, Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) Head of Training and Development, and Tournament Director, said: “We thank the Qatar Football Association for coming on board to organise the league and for all their efforts in ensuring the success of the competition. This year we have allocated cash prizes for the first, second, third and fourth place teams as well as cash prizes for the best player, top scorer, best goalkeeper and best coach.”He added: “We have started the first edition with 14 teams, and this year we have reached 24 teams representing banks, financial institutions and exchange companies in the country. The increase in the number of teams demonstrates the huge development and success of the tournament, and the demand and keenness of the banking and financial sector to participate in a tournament which offers a great opportunity for the employees to gather outside the work environment and allows them to learn about the importance of exercise.” The draw results Group A1. Al Khaleej Takaful Group2. Al Ahli Bank3. Al Rayyan Bank4. Lulu Exchange Company5. First Finance Company6. Al Mana Exchange Group B1. Qatar National Bank (QNB)2. Al Khaleej Exchange 3. Al Madina Exchange4. Al Zaman Exchange5. Travelex6. International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) Group C1. Qatar Central Bank2. Al Mirqab Exchange Company3. Aldar For exchange Works4. Unimoni Exchange LLC5. HSBC Bank Middle East Limited – Qatar Branch6. Al Fardan ExchangeGroup D1. Doha Bank2. Qatar Development Bank (QDB)3. Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance Company4. Doha Insurance Group5. Islamic Exchange Company6. General Takaful Company.