14 April 2019 – Doha, Qatar:
The Aspire Embassies Futsal Tournament has entered a decisive phase as competing teams battle it out to stay in the competition. The group stages are now drawing to a close with the quarter-finals due to start this coming Saturday.
Last Thursday’s group stage saw a number of thrilling matches with representatives from the various embassies in the country taking part. During this stage, Syria defeated India (20-0), Jordan overcame Mali (3-2), Bosnia defeated South Africa (13-0), Iraq defeated Eritrea (6-5) and Oman triumphed against Japan (12-2).
Group stage matches resumed on Saturday during which Spain won against Azerbaijan (5-1), Djibouti overcame France (6-3), Jordan defeated Syria (6-3), Mali triumphed against India (11-2) while Portugal and Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) drew in a hotly contested match (3-3).
As a result of the games played to date, Jordan, Bosnia, and the Sultanate of Oman are currently leading their groups A, B, and C respectively, while the team from MOFA sits at the top of group D with 4 points.
Date
|
Match
|
Results
|
Thursday
11 April 2019
|
India Vs.Syria
|
0-20
|
Jordan Vs.Mali
|
3-2
|
South Africa Vs.Bosnia
|
0-13
|
Iraq Vs.Eretria
|
6-5
|
Japan Vs. Oman
|
2-12
|
Saturday
13 April 2019
|
Spain Vs. Azerbaijan
|
5-1
|
DjiboutiVs. France
|
3-6
|
PortugalVs. MOFA
|
3-3
|
Jordan Vs.Syria
|
6-3
|
India Vs.Mali
|
2-11
|
A number of senior members from the country’s various Embassies attended games during the tournament, including HE Dr. Abdul Sattar Hadi Al-Janabi, Charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, and HE Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to the State of Qatar.
HE Mr. Abdul Sattar Al Janabi praised Aspire Zone Foundation for the well-planned organisation of the tournament and said:
“This is the first time that the Iraqi Embassy has participated in this outstanding initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar. It is a great opportunity for our colleagues to step outside of the more formal environment that we’re used to and interact with one another and build stronger ties between each of the Embassies and our colleagues. This is of course part and parcel of what sports diplomacy is all about and demonstrates how it brings countries together.”
HE Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to Qatar, said:
“I would like to extend my gratitude to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aspire Zone Foundation for making it possible for members of the diplomatic community to have this opportunity to strengthen relations between us and build solidarity among nations. I also thank my colleagues in the diplomatic corps for taking part and making the most of this opportunity to get to know each other better.”
Aspire Zone Foundation invites all members of the various expat communities taking part in the tournament to cheer their teams on at the Aspire Zone’s Ladies Sports Hall. Next week’s competitions will take place at the following times:
Date
|
Match
|
Timing
|
Thursday
18 April 2019
|
Iraq Vs.Bosnia
|
3:00 pm
|
South Africa Vs.Eretria
|
4:00 pm
|
Spain Vs.Oman
|
5:00 pm
|
Japan Vs.Azerbaijan
|
6:00 pm
|
Portugal Vs. France
|
7:00 pm
|
Djibouti Vs. MOFA
|
8:00 pm
|
Quarter finals
Saturday
20 April 2019
|
1st of group A Vs. 2nd of group C
|
5:00 pm
|
1st of group B Vs. 2nd of group D
|
6:00 pm
|
1st of group C Vs. 2nd of group A
|
7:00 pm
|
1st of group D Vs. 2nd of group B
|
8:00 pm
|
This popular tournament which emerged from the mini edition of the Aspire Ramadan Festival in 2015, presents an excellent opportunity for participants to get together away from the usual work environment and to take part in a fun and challenging competition. For this year, the tournament is sponsored by Vodafone Qatar and in partnership with Al Rayyan Water and Corona Café.