(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Qatar Football Association (QFA) kicked off the 6th Asian Communities Football Tournament (ACFT) this weekend with a thrilling opening ceremony at Al Gharafa Stadium that was attended by many fans, families, and children.
Friday's opening ceremony was attended by Indian ambassador P Kumaran, Indonesian ambassador Mohamed Basri Sidehabi, Singaporean ambassador Jai Sohan Singh, Bangladeshi ambassador Ashud Ahmed, Amjad Mubaideen, Chargé D'affaires of Jordan to Qatar.
The opening ceremony featured a cultural show performed by the Indian, Filipino, Indonesian, and Malaysian communities who displayed spectacular dance performances. The show was followed by the twelve teams lining up on the pitch for the Qatar national anthem, and represented their countries by carrying their country's flag.
An open-air bazaar in the fanzone area was also organised whereby different restaurants in Qatar set up their stalls and sold food from their part of the world to visitors.
The 12-team tournament began on January 11 and will conclude on March 30, with matches to be played at Al Gharafa Stadium, Al Markhiya SC, and Doha Stadium. Matches will be played Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm and 9:20pm.
The first day of matches took place on Thursday, January 11, which saw Malaysia win 1-0 against the Philippines and Japan win 3-0 against Singapore.
Friday's matches witnessed Jordan's 2-1 victory over India, with Ammar Abwiny and Ahmed al-Noaimat scoring for the eventual winners. Abwiny was adjudged best player of the match.
The second match of the night saw Lebanon beat Indonesia 9-0, with Lebanon's Mohamed al-Sagheer impressing in the match.
The tournament this year will follow the traditional format of twelve teams split into two groups where they will play group stage matches, followed with the top four teams of each group qualifying for the knockout stage.
The teams participating this year include Jordan, India, Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Korea Republic, Singapore, Japan, Lebanon, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
Hilal al-Mohannadi, Chairman of the Sub-Leagues Committee at the QFA said: We are very happy with the turnout of fans at the opening ceremony this weekend which demonstrates their passion for football and support for their community teams. The ACFT demonstrates QFA's objective which is to organise a tournament that acts as an effective tool to help support integration and positive community engagement amongst the various communities in Qatar through football.
He added: 'It also provides a unique opportunity for community teams to display their talents at an organised football tournament officiated by QFA referees.
The ACFT is sponsored by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy as the official strategic partner, Nike as the official supplier, and Al Kass Sports Channels as the official broadcaster.
The ACFT was launched in sports season 2012-2013 and saw the participation of six teams. In its' first edition, the tournament saw huge success and as a result, the following editions witnessed an increase in the number of participating teams as more communities expressed huge interest in being part of this exciting community tournament.
MENAFN1401201800670000ID1096349739
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.