DOHA: Top officials of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) on Monday expressed confidence that all eight member countries will feature in the forthcoming 23rd Gulf Cup to be held in Qatar. On Monday Jassim Al Rumaihi, Secretary General of AGCFF, and Dr. Hamid Al Shaibani, Chairman of the Competitions Committee, were present during the draw ceremony held at Four Seasons Hotel Doha. Officials from Oman, Yemen, Qatar and Iraq were present during the draw ceremony while there was no representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The tournament is slated to be held between December 22 and January. While answering a question, Al-Rumaihi said: “We invited all member countries of AGCFF to this draw ceremony. Some of them did not make it. If they continue to be absent from our future meetings, we will revert back to the Executive Committee of AGCFF to decide on our future course of action.” He added: “As of now, we are ready to host the tournament. If we have less number of teams, then the event will be held on a round-robin format. But right now, we are going ahead full steam with our preparations.” Al-Rumaihi said: “The preparations are in full swing. The agreement has been signed with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in Qatar. Now we are coordinating with the LOC regarding the final preparations including the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony. We hope all teams will participate in the tournament.” Jassem Al-Rumaihi said: “We hope Kuwait will participate in the tournament because it is one of the founding members of AGCFF. Kuwait’s participation will addressed by the Executive Committee of the AGCF in the coming weeks.” Al-Rumaihi said there was communication from the Bahrain Football Federation. “We received a letter from the Bahrain Football Federation asking us to postpone the tournament due to the absence of Kuwait. We responded to the letter that the tournament will be held on the basis of the consultative meeting held in Bahrain recently,” Al Rumaihi said. “The AGCFF was established by eight member countries to make football reach all corners of the region. The body was established to professionalize the growth of the game. We hope this is how we move forward, for the common good of the game in the region,” Al Rumaihi said. “We hope to hold the tournament on time. We are clear in the mind so as not to mix politics with sports because football builds unity among the fans,” he added. Al Shaibani, chairman of the Gulf Competitions Committee, said the list shows when to withdraw, before or after the draw, and the fine is determined, according to the sponsor. “We confirm that this tournament is the first tournament to be held under the supervision of the newly-formed AGCFF. The rules and regulations have been prepared with the approval of all participating countries,” Al Shaibani explained. As for the date of the announcement of the fixtures, Shaibani said: “It will be developed and announced in coordination with the LOC and title sponsors.”
Source: qfa.qa