17 Jan 2018
Doha, 17 January 2018. What do Paris Saint-Germain’s Adrien Rabiot, Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman and AC Milan’s Patrick Cutrone all have in common? Not only did they break into professional football at an early age and have taken on important roles in their teams – only a few years ago, each one of them featured in an edition of the “Al Kass International Cup” in Doha. And those are just a few examples of future star players that were part of this world-class Under-17 competition.
From 21st to 31st of January the “Al Kass International Cup” returns to Qatar for the seventh consecutive year teeming with youthful talented players from 12 of the world’s best clubs ready to showcase their skill at Aspire Zone, a place with a reputation for great sports achievements and the development of future star athletes. This year’s teams represent the world’s top talents from Real Madrid (Spain), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Benfica (Portugal), Fenerbahce (Turkey), Tottenham (England), Kashiwa Reysol (Japan), Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia), Wydad AC (Morocco), Guangzhou Evergrande (China), AC Milan (Italy) and Aspire Academy (Qatar), and Aspire Zone’s CSR-initiative Aspire Football Dreams.
Who could forget the thrilling final of the latest edition in 2017, when Aspire Academy’s team made it to the final for the first time in tournament history and put on a good fight against eventual winners Real Madrid or who wouldn’t remember the tantalising football display by the “Kenyan Messi” Mohammed Rama Katana, whose Aspire Football Dreams side subdued “Los Blancos” into second place in 2016? His outstanding game has been noticed by international scouts and soon after the tournament he signed a professional contract with the Portuguese top club Sporting Lisbon. Let’s see which players are going to shine during the seventh edition of the cup and which club will join the illustrious honours list of former winners such as Real Madrid (2017), Aspire Football Dreams (2016) and Paris St Germain (2015).
It all kicks off on Sunday 21st with the twelve (12) teams placed into four groups of three sides playing each other to determine the quarter finals places as well as the rest of the tournament ranking. The opening match this year will feature defending champions Real Madrid against Fenerbahce. The second match of the day will see Guangzhou take on Benfica before the first day’s play rounds off with Esperance squaring up with Wydad AC. The top two teams from each group will then face each other in a knockout round with the final match scheduled to take place on January 31. Al Kass TV, the official sponsor of the tournament, will provide a live broadcast of all games, both online and on TV, with English and Arabic commentary.
Al Kass International Cup lines up among the A list of international sporting events Qatar is increasingly known and acknowledge to host. As the tournament draws near the luminaries within Qatar’s sports industry expressed their delight at this year’s upcoming competition.
Mr. Mohammed Khalifa Al-Suwaidi, CEO of Aspire Zone Foundation, said, “With the 2022 World Cup rapidly approaching, we take immense pride in co-organizing and sponsoring this tournament. In addition, Al Kass International Cup continues to contribute towards the development of football skills among our youth at the Aspire Academy. This falls within helping us in the accomplishment of our AZF vision to become the reference for sports excellence world-wide by 2020 and our mission of enhancing sports performance.”
Al Kass International Cup is organized by Al Kass Sports Channels in collaboration with Aspire Zone Foundation (Aspire) and the Qatar Football Association (QFA). Participation to this International Cup Under-17 tournament is by invitation which is extended to football clubs across the globe.
Eagerly anticipating the upcoming tournament, Issa Abdulla Al-Hitmi, Chairman of the Organising Committee of Al Kass International Cup, said, “Building on its success in previous years, the 7th edition of Al Kass International Cup has established itself as a key international football event, bringing together the world's leading youth clubs in a competition that caters to a large fan base from around the world.
Al Kass network’s live coverage of the tournament using the most advanced and modern broadcast techniques has expanded the competition’s audience beyond football professionals, experts and players’ circles.
Since its inception, the tournament, which takes place across Aspire stadiums, has welcomed young talented footballer, some of whom play today for Europe’s biggest clubs. These include Adrien the likes of Rabiot from Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid player Achraf Hakimi, Munir Haddadi, an ex-Barcelona star who currently plays for Valencia, Jean-Kévin Augustin from RB Leipzig, and Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich. Most of Qatar’s National Team players including those currently competing at the Asian Olympic Games following their recent participation in the Asian Cup have previously played at Al Kass International Cup.
In addition to promoting young talents, the tournament’s organizers have dedicated a great deal to attention to humanitarian action. During its previous edition, Al Kass International Cup welcomed the Syrian refugees national team and the youth team of the Chapecoense Brazilian club, whose first team players died in a tragic plane crash.
Simply put, Al Kass International Cup is more than just another football tournament organized by Aspire Foundation. It is a full-fledged event that celebrates football as a popular sport and offers fans a variety of entertaining activities.
Determined to address past shortcomings, organizers are taking the 7th edition of Al Kass to a new level.
The Al Kass International Cup has established itself as a key international football event that supports Qatar’s vision and contributes to building on the foundations of a proud footballing nation up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and beyond.
H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: “We are delighted to be part of the seventh edition of the Al Kass International Cup and to welcome some of the world’s most promising young players to Doha. The tournament is an important fixture in Qatar’s annual sporting calendar and allows us to highlight the country’s world-class sporting infrastructure and event organisation capabilities and showcase Qatar’s warm hospitality ahead of us hosting the historic FIFA World Cup in 2022.”
The Secretary General added: “The competition is also key for Qatar’s youth player development and offers our players of the future, many of whom may play in 2022, experience of competing against giants such as Bayern München, Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain. We look forward to welcoming many of the players participating in this year’s tournament back to Qatar in 2022 as senior national team players.”
"AlKass International Cup has become without doubt one of the most popular competitions among international clubs seeking to engage their young players on a professional level," said Mansour Al Ansari, General Secretary of the Qatar Football Federation.
The competition brings together a large number of international football clubs, thus promoting international cooperation with Qatar, and providing an ideal opportunity to discover young talent from around the world.
Inaugurated in 2012, Al Kass International Cup is an annual tournament that facilitates a unique opportunity for some of the world’s choice young footballers of tomorrow to demonstrate their ability and skills on the world stage. The tournament also aims to contribute to the nurturing of passion for football in Qatar and the region by offering up an 11-day action-packed competition that seeks to propel Qatar to the forefront of sporting excellence and leadership.