MANILA: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) yesterday named the Qatar Football Association as winners of the Dream Asia Award.
According to the AFC, the prize is given to a body which “uses football as a tool for social change, enlightening the importance of social responsibility and promoting the culture of giving”.
QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani said the award was the result of hard work put in by the game’s ruling body in Qatar.
“This award shows that football is moving in the right direction in Qatar,” Sheikh Hamad said yesterday. “We want to develop football in Qatar and the region in the best way possible. We will keep working hard.”
“Qatar’s leadership is the reason for all our sporting glory. We get every support to develop sport, and in particular football,” he said.
“I want to thank the QFA family for their efforts to raise the profile of the sport in Qatar and elsewhere in the region,” the QFA president said.
The QFA chief thanked sponsors and supporters “for their backing over the years”.
Last week, Qatar won the 22nd Gulf Cup with an astonishing win over hosts Saudi Arabia in the final in Riyadh.
Khalid Al Kuwari, COO of QFA, said: “I congratulate the QFA leadership on this award.”
“This award is the result of hard work we have put in over the years. We are thrilled at this achievement and at the same time, we pledge to work harder in the coming years,” he said.
When asked about the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Al Kuwari said: “We have plenty of goals to achieve and we will continue to deliver on our promises.”
QFA Vice-president Saoud Al Mohannadi, who received the award in Manila yesterday, said: “This is an honour as we have worked very hard. We are working very hard with the community to get football to them.
“We are going all the way to the kids and the elderly to get them involved in football.”
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