Al Sadd players during a training session.
Doha: The reigning Qatar Stars League champions Al Sadd will soon head to Malaga, Spain for their preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming season.
The Wolves, who clinched their 17th League title last season in addition to an unprecedented 19th Amir Cup crown, yesterday announced on the club’s official ‘X’ handle that the camp will take place at the Marbella Football Center from July 9 to 29.
The camp is an extension of their preparations which kick-started under the watchful eyes of Spanish coach Sergio Alegre.
Alegre, who previously served as an assistant to former Al Sadd coach Xavi, along with the support staff, held the first training session last Monday at the club’s training centre.
During the camp in Malaga, the Wolves will play several friendly matches against local teams to ensure the team reaches peak readiness as Al Sadd gear up for the new League season, renamed as Ooredoo Stars League and kicks off on August 9.
Apart from that, Al Sadd are also gearing up for the brand new AFC Champions League Elite tournament, recently launched by the Asian Football Confederation. The top-tier competition will kick off in mid-September, featuring the best 24 teams from across Asia.
Meanwhile, Al Gharafa will also head to Europe, where they will hold their pre-season training camp from July 16.
Under Portuguese coach Pedro Martins, who was named the best coach of the 2023-2024 season, Al Gharafa will hold the training camp in Slovakia where they will remain until August 1.
The Cheetahs who had an impressive run last season, finishing in third place behind champions Al Sadd and runners-up Al Rayyan at last season’s Qatar Stars League.
Al Rayyan renew contracts of key players
Elsewhere, Al Rayyan Club has announced the renewal of contracts for three key players, Osama Al Tairi, Abdullah Al Ali, and Tamim Mansour, as they gear up for League action.
The trio have been retained for five more seasons until 2029 in a move which focuses on the club’s strategy to retain its young talents.
This follows the recent contract renewal of Abdullah Al Menhali until 2027.
However, Al Rayyan also saw the departure of their goalkeeper Saud Al Hajri who announced his retirement after a 20-year career, while Moroccan Achraf Bencharki and Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim also left the team.
Al Rayyan has already started their training sessions in Doha, and will leave for the Netherlands where they will continue the pre-season preparations from July 10 to 29.
Al Gharafa and Al Shamal will also head to the Netherlands to hold their training camps. Al Gharafa, under coach Pedro Martins, will hold their camp from July 16-August 1, while Al Shamal will train from July 14-August 2.
