Qatar Stars League Management (QSLM) chief executive officer Hani Taleb Ballan congratulated Al Duhail on winning the Qatar Cup, after they defeated defending champions Al Sadd 2-1 in the final on Friday.
Ballan expressed his sincere congratulations to the Board of Directors of the Al Duhail club, their technical staff, players, officials and fans for emerging as champions in the fifth edition of the prestigious tournament.
Hani hailed the good performances put up by the four competing teams — Al Duhail, Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa — who had taken the top four spots in the QNB Stars League.
“The spectators watched the matches with great passion. The teams fought it out in the semi-finals to qualify for the final. In the end, Al Duhail lifted the cup of pride.
“The QSLM, as always, gave this elite event huge importance in terms of preparations, organisation and arrangements in co-ordination and collaboration with our valued partners. We believe we’ve delivered the goods in the most appropriate manner,” said Ballan.
He pointed out that the championship has a special place in the minds of the people of Qatar. It was first held in the 1994-95 season as the Heir Apparent’s Cup, as a mark of respect to the rulers of Qatar. The tournament continued under the same guise until the 2013-14 season when it was rebranded as the Qatar Cup to represent the great State of Qatar and its people.
The QSLM CEO expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for the invaluable support given to sports in general and football in particular.
Ballan also extended his thanks and appreciation to all partners, sponsors and supporters of the 2018 Qatar Cup, the host broadcaster and the media, which provided the tournament with extensive coverage.
The top QSLM official expressed his wish to continue the partnership and association with all the stakeholders in the competition’s future editions in order to achieve common objectives. (QSL.qa)
QSLM CEO Hani Taleb Ballan.
