Mogadishu (SONNA):The Somali national team arrived this morning in Doha to participate in the qualifiers for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, which will be hosted by Doha.
The “Ocean Stars” will appear in the qualifiers by facing the Omani team at eight o’clock on Sunday evening at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, in order to cross into the first group, which includes the hosting Qatari team, the Iraqi team, and the winner of the Bahrain-Kuwait match.
Upon arrival, the mission was subjected to a PCR test to detect the Coronavirus before moving to the residence hotel to enter a health bubble that will continue until the departure date on Monday, the 21st of this month, according to the instructions of the Local Organizing Committee, which prohibits teams from moving except for training and matches, in application of the protocol for the Arab Cup qualifiers.
The Somali team had finished its preparations before arriving in Doha through a camp that included a friendly match against the Djibouti team, which it lost with a goal without a response, and is now looking forward to a decent appearance in the Arab Cup after failing to cross into the second phase of the African qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after Losing against Zimbabwe, 1/3, despite winning the first leg at home with a goal without a response, knowing that the team participated in the last edition of the East African Championship known as “CICAFA” and was eliminated from the group stage.
Omar Mahmoud, head of the delegation of the Somali national team, expressed his pride that his country is part of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, extending his thanks to the organizing committee and the State of Qatar for hosting and the great opportunity to appear in an event he described as great, especially since it is under the supervision of the International Football Association.
“We are very happy to be here in Qatar, the reception was perfect and everything went well. We are grateful to the local organizing committee and the State of Qatar for hosting and for this unique opportunity to be present at an event like this. What we monitored here in Doha confirms the ideal readiness of the country to host An exceptional version of the World Cup next year 2022, everything is really great,” Omar Mahmoud said.
“Our goal is to qualify for the finals and return here at the end of next November to be part of the Arab Championship finals, which will provide us with a great opportunity to engage with big teams that have weight in football, whether in Asia or Africa,” He added.
Qasim Abdul Samad, a member of the Board of Directors of the Somali Federation and a member of the team’s delegation to the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, confirmed that the Somali team is excited to participate in the tournament, which is of great importance, especially since it is held under the umbrella of the International Federation, which gives it a different dimension and great interest.
“We are eager to play the qualifiers against the Omani team on Sunday, and we hope to qualify for the finals in order to enrich the experience that will benefit the Somali team and contribute to its development through contact with prominent Arab teams,” He said.
“Everything here is wonderful, we thank the organizing committee and the State of Qatar for hosting and giving us the opportunity to participate in a tournament that will be held on facilities that will host the World Cup finals, which makes our experience wonderful, but we hope to cross to the finals by facing the brotherly Omani team, which will not be easy, but we Ready and optimistic about a good showing,” he added.
The Somali team will hold a press conference via video communication technology on Saturday evening to talk about the decisive confrontation against Al-Ahmar in search of crossing into the first group, which includes the Qatari team, the host, the Iraqi team, and the winner of the Bahrain-Kuwait match.
