Shafallah students savour Asian Cup victory with national team

Members of the Qatar National Football Team yesterday visited Shafallah Centre to share the happiness of the victory of 2019 AFC Asian Cup with children with special needs. It was a moving scene when the children received the football heroes with colourful floral garlands. The seemingly happy faced players put the same garlands around the necks of the smiling children.The management of Shafallah Centre welcomed the victorious team members and their coach. The national team also brought the trophy to the centre, sparking joy among the children and staff. The visitors were led by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Thani, president of Qatar Football Association.The top management of all governmental social organisations under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation for Social Work such as Dhreama, Ehsan, Wifaq, Nama, Al-Noor, Aman, and Best Buddies Qatar attended the event and enjoyed the company of both the children and players. Aamal Bint Abdulatif al-Mannai, CEO of Qatar Foundation for Social Work, also attended the event and welcomed the national football team.The team members spent over two hours with the students of Shafallah Centre. They interacted with the children as parents and staff took photos and videos. The team members had a group photo with the students and staff of the centre. Some of the students of the centre participated in shoot-outs against the champions, with some students managing to score goals as the crowd cheered on all the special children.Students, visitors and staff of the centre later participated in a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate the historic victory of Qatar. The gathering also enjoyed traditional Qatari music on the occasion.Qatar Football Association president appreciated the visit of the team to the centre. He said: “We are very happy to be with our boys. Our players are very happy to be here. Actually, the players pushed me to come here and celebrate the victory with them. We see the students are also very happy to be with the players and they actually loved to play with the national team.”Talking to Community, national football player Abdulkarim Hassan, said: “We had heard that they [the students] wanted to come to the airport for our welcome. However, the situation [at the airport] was not good because of the crowds. But, it is a good idea from Shafallah Centre and Qatar Football Association to celebrate with the students at their centre. We are proud to be here. They are a part of us. It is an honour for us to celebrate the victory with them.“The victory is big one for us. It has made all the country happy. We are proud of our victory. Four months later, we have Copa America cup. We will keep preparing ourselves for 2022 FIFA World Cup.”Saad al-Dosari, the national team’s goalkeeper, said: “We are very excited to be with our brothers with special needs. I see them as they are very happy. They are actually a part of this achievement. They have every right to be happy with us and enjoy the celebrations.”Laila Abu Alfain, Acting Director of Shafallah Centre, said: “I am happy for this achievement and to have the Asian cup for the first time. I can see the smile and happiness on the faces of our kids, students and our national football team.“This event is like our participation in the celebration of the victory. We could not take our children to the airport to welcome the team. We contacted the football federation to have the visit of the team here. I am happy that they agreed. It is our great pleasure to celebrate the victory with our kids and students with special needs.”