03 Feb 2016
Doha, 3 February 2016. Some of the world’s best young footballers are set to take part in the fifth edition of the ‘Al Kass International Cup’, taking place on the football pitches at Aspire Academy between February 5 and 15. The tournament provides the chance for two of Aspire’s teams – Aspire Academy and Aspire Football Dreams – to compete against U17 teams representing some of the top clubs from Spain, Italy, France, Japan, China, Argentina, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.
Players from the Academy will join 12 elite academy teams taking part in the competition from clubs including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and SL Benfica. The team from Aspire Academy faces Shanghai Greenland in its first game (Saturday, February 6, 5:45pm) and then Inter Milan (Monday, February 8, 5:45pm) in group A.
For Aspire Academy head coach Ibrahim Al Shafie the tournament is another chance to compete at an international level and to see how teams of young players from Qatar measure up in comparison to players from all over the world.
Explaining the benefit of taking part, he said: “Each game gives our players the chance to gain valuable experience – both on and off the field – because they also need to deal with an increased level of interest from the media, including press conferences and TV coverage. The whole competition is good preparation for many of the things that they can expect to encounter as they develop and mature as players,” said Al Shafie, who is looking forward to the upcoming games.
“There are no easy opponents in this competition and the teams we are facing in the group stage are quite different. The game against Shanghai Greenland is quite important because teams from Asia are usually amongst the first that Qatar’s national teams face when it comes to qualifying for major competitions. As a result, it is important to be familiar with their playing style and philosophy.”
The second game in the group stage is against Inter Milan and Aspire’s coach expects they will be strong opponents as they are a very well organised team with a number of skillful players. “For us, though, these games are as much about competing as they are about gaining useful experience to see how we measure up against international teams. The main focus for us is not simply the results, but about the way we play and how we are able to work together for the overall success of the team. Good organisation and a strong team performance are the foundations behind any success.”
Official tournament sponsor Al Kass TV will be broadcasting all games live both online and on TV with Arabic and English commentary. To find out more about the tournament and the schedule, visit http://internationalcup.alkass.net.