Liverpool’s Under-18 players wait for their ride to the hotel after arriving at the Doha International Airport yesterday. Liverpool is one of 12 teams taking part in the Al Kass International Cup which begins today. PICTURES: FADI AL ASSAD
DOHA: Home side Aspire Qatar will be eyeing a shock win against Liverpool today when the two sides lock horns in the opening match of the Al Kass International Cup.
The world’s leading U-18 club championship has attracted 12 teams.
Last year’s champions Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) are also one of the sides taking part in the two-week event.
The Al Kass International Cup starts today with a stellar line-up of international clubs going head-to-head to see who will lift the coveted Golden Cup and walk away with the top prize of $75,000.
The tournament will take place at the Aspire Zone and is hosted by the Qatar Football Association (QFA), Al Kass Sport Channels and the Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF).
As preparations for the tournament continued, team representatives met with tournament organisers yesterday at the official welcome and technical meeting to review the full tournament rules and regulations and to introduce their teams.
In addition, team jerseys were decided for the first group games and each team was briefed on upcoming media activity for the competition.
Speaking at that meeting Ali Muftah, the Assistant Tournament Director, said: “It is an honour and a privilege to welcome some of the world’s leading club sides to Doha for this the 2nd annual Al Kass International Cup. We are looking forward to a wonderful two weeks of football. We are looking at some of the names who may go on to play for top clubs in the future. I am sure who we see on the pitch over the next fortnight will be representing their country in the not too distant future.
He added: “It is also with great pleasure that we welcome back last year’s champions Paris Saint-Germain. They had a great tournament in 2012 and I am sure they are looking to replicate that success this year.”
The two-week action gets under way today afternoon with a brief opening ceremony. Once the presentation is over, four matches will be played with the mouth-watering prospect of Liverpool taking on Aspire Qatar the first match (kick-off 4:30pm).
Following the opening game, two matches will be played simultaneously. The first will see Spanish giants Real Madrid play Cairo’s Zamalek while the second match has last year’s champions, Paris Saint-Germain facing Rio Di Janerio-based Fluminese. Both matches kick-off at 7:00pm.
Finishing off an extraordinary evening of football will be final match of the night; Argentine side Club Athletico Boca Juniors playing Japanese side Yokhama F Marinos.
These matches represent the first of the Group Stages which will see four groups of three teams contest matches with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knock-out phase, the first of which will be the quarter-finals which are to be played on February 1.
Matches will be broadcast on the Al Kass Sports Channel.
THE PENINSULA
