Al Sadd sign Afif on loan from Spanish side Villarreal

QNB Stars League team Al Sadd have signed a contract with Akram Afif till the end of this season. The midfielder is on loan from Spanish La Liga team Villarreal. The highly-rated Afif will strengthen Sadd ahead of the forthcoming domestic and AFC Champions League fixtures. Akram, who represented Qatar at the recent Asian Under-23 Championship in China, will join the Al Sadd camp in time for their Qatar Clasico against Al Rayyan on February 8.Al Sadd, who are second in the league, had signed four players in the winter transfer period, the others being Ali Faridoun, Sami Subait, Hamed Ismail and Abdelkarim Hassan.Qatar SC add Jimenez to their ranksQatar SC added to their ranks attacking midfielder Luis Jimenez till the end of this season on loan from fellow QNB Stars League club Al Gharafa. The Chilean signed the deal a day before the winter transfer window closes and will replace Iranian Sajad Mujtaba, who was hired recently but could not continue due to an injury. Jimenez had represented Al Arabi last season before joining Al Gharafa at the start of this season. He had captained The Cheetahs in the first phase of the league campaign, in the process guiding them to the QSL Cup triumph.The former Chile international thus joins the list of Brazilian Patrick Fabiano and Syrian Osama Omari as Qatar SC’s overseas recruits in the January transfers, while only Brazilian midfielder Bruno Gallo stayed with The Kings.Umm Salal sign Yemeni player BarroisUmm Salal signed Mohamed Barrois in line with the Qatar Football Association’s decision to allow QNB Stars League teams to include one Yemeni as a resident player till the end of this season.Barrois, who signed the deal after passing his medical at Aspetar, is Umm Salal’s second recruit in the January transfer window, after Tunisian attacking midfielder Oussama Darragi.Barrois is expected to play Umm Salal’s QNB Stars League Week 15 away match against Al Arabi on Friday. The Orange Fortress are fifth in the standings with 20 points.Tunisian Hamza signs with Al AhliAl Ahli replaced Colombian striker Christian Nazaret with Tunisian Hamza Younes. The tall forward signed the deal for one-and-a-half seasons in the presence of Football Head Abdullah Mustafa.The signing followed his successful medical at Qatar’s orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital Aspetar. Hamza will be a value addition to The Brigadiers’ frontline, also consisting of Qatar international Meshaal Abdullah and Tunisian attacking midfielder Yassine Chikhaoui.The 31-year-old last played for Turkish club BB Erzurumspor. He started his senior career with top Tunisian side Sfaxien where he had a long stint, scoring 46 goals from 135 matches.Hamza is Al Ahli’s second signing in the January transfer window, after Yemeni defender Mohamed Fouad who was recruited till the end of this  season.Al Ahli, who drew 1-1 with Umm Salal last week to be placed seventh with 16 points, will take on leaders Al Duhail League on tomorrow.Ahmed Yasser moves to Al RayyanRayyan strengthened their squad ahead of their AFC Champions League campaign by roping in Ahmed Yasser on loan from Al Duhail. Yasser moves to Al Rayyan from Spanish club Cultural Leonesa till the end of this season. Al Rayyan also announced the return of Abdulrahman Al Harazi after his loan period to Al Sailiya. At the same time, The Lions got back the services of  Hossam Kamal after his loan move to Al Arabi.Meanwhile, Sultan Bakhit Al Kuwari will need more time to recover fully from his injury. Al Rayyan, third in the standings with 32 points, will play A Markhiya tomorrow.