FROM LEFT: Ghanim Al Kuwari, Chief Operating Officer of Administration, Qatargas, Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer, Qatargas, Khalid Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications, QFA and Mansour Rashid Al Naimi, Public Relations Manager, Qatargas, stand near the Qatargas League logo after a press conference in Doha yesterday.
Doha: Recently launched football competition Q League will now be known as Qatargas League after the Qatar Football Association (QFA) signed a three-year deal with Qatargas to become the name partner of tournament yesterday.
Qatargas League which is participated by 18 reserve and second division teams began on September 21 and will run until December 17.
Speaking of the deal during a press conference at QFA Headquarters in Doha, QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani said: “The Qatar Football Association is pleased to welcome Qatargas as the name partner of one of the most important leagues in Qatari football. We thank Qatargas for their support and look forward to continuing working with them for years to come.”
He added: “The Qatargas League will play a very significant role in developing the future of Qatari football and specifically the performance of our players.”
Alongside Sheikh Hamad, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer of Qatargas, who both signed the respective contracts, was delighted with the deal and is looking forward to working with QFA to promote the sport.
He said: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting competition that brings together some of the most aspiring young footballers in Qatar. We are hopeful that Qatargas’ support for the competition will go a long way in taking Qatar’s football to new heights, especially as the country is getting ready to host the World Cup in 2022.”
Sheikh Khalid explained: “I thank the Qatar Football Association for providing us this opportunity to be part of Qatar’s efforts to be one of the world’s leading sports destinations. We are hopeful that our cooperation with QFA will continue to grow in the years to come that will ultimately benefit football and our budding talents in this important game.”
He added: “As one of the leading energy companies of the world, our support to the game of football forms part of Qatargas’ corporate social responsibility programme in the field of sports. Over the past few weeks, we have announced our support to a number of other games that attract youngsters and are fast gaining popularity in Qatar thereby contributing to the human development pillar of Qatar’s National Vision 2030.”
Sheikh Khalid said the deal is a sign of the company’s ambitions to support and promote different sports in Qatar.
“We at Qatargas support a number of sports competitions like ice hockey and golf. We are pleased to show our support to football and we hope this deal and continue in developing football in Qatar,” said Sheikh Khalid during the press conference.
The sponsorship deal allows QFA to use the Qatargas logo in all its advertising and makes it the exclusive name partner for the Q League going forward.
Matches are played in 9 different stadiums including Al Sadd, Qatar, Al Gharrafa, Al Rayyan, Lekhwiya, Al Arabi, Al Wakrah, Al Khor, and Al Sailiya.
The Qatargas League will be played where two teams from the second division will ascend to Qatar Stars League (QSL) based on their ranking, whilst the 13th and 14th place teams in QSL will be relegated directly
to Qatargas League.
THE PENINSULA
