Doha: The Development Department of the Qatar Football Association concluded the special training course for levels A and B for professional players, organized in collaboration with the Asian Football Confederation. The course was held for the first time in Asia from June 20, 2022, to October 10, 2022, spanning four continuous stages over approximately four months.   The certificate presentation ceremony took place at the Qatar Football Association (QFA) headquarters on Sunday, the 21st, in the presence of Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, Vice President of the Qatar Football Association, and Mr. Fahad Thani Al-Zarra, Director of the Development Department at the QFA.   The ceremony was also attended by Mr. Mohamed Zayed Al Marri, Head of the Education Department at the Association, and Captain Wisam Shamel, an accredited lecturer at the Asian Football Confederation who supervised the theoretical and practical aspects of the course, as well as the coordinators of the course, Najib Al-Tairi and Thamer Al-Noubi, in addition to the participating players.   The A & B course witnessed the participation of nine Qatari and Arab footballers, including professional players Abdulaziz Al Sulaiti, Abdulrahman Abkar, Khaled Abdulraouf, Khaled Muftah, Majdi Sidiq, Nadir Belhadj, Ousmane Coulibaly, Rafik Halliche, Yannick Sagbo. The course also had a presence of international and AFC accredited lecturers, including the Belgian lecturer Chris Van der Hagen, and lecturers Fahad Thani Al-Zarra, Wisam Shamel, and Abdulqader Al-Mughaisib.   During the closing ceremony, Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, Vice President of the Qatar Football Association, and Mr. Fahad Thani expressed their gratitude to the lecturer Wisam Shamel and awarded him with a certificate of appreciation. They also handed out participation certificates to the participating professional players.   Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, Vice President of the Qatar Football Association, began his speech by expressing his pleasure in being present with his colleagues and friends from former players, wishing them success in the field of coaching after enriching the football fields with their vast experiences. He emphasized that the association is highly committed to developing and refining coaches to reap the fruits of their efforts, enabling them to be strong and influential in the coaching field.   He added, "The Development Department is making great efforts in graduating coaching staff, and we want to see the graduates from players in the field of football again after their playing careers end. Qualifying professional players through training courses is an investment in national sports personnel by educating and developing their levels. We hope to see the participants in the coaching staff of first teams or youth categories in the near future, enriching the football field at all levels."   Fahad Thani expressed his gratitude to the Asian Football Confederation for the trust placed in the Qatar Football Association to organize courses that grant coaching certificates. He appreciated the efforts made by the Qatar Football Association in supporting Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, the President of the Qatar Football Association, in providing full support for training courses that aim to qualify and develop coaches by keeping up with the latest scientific and practical developments in the game. He explained that coaches who completed the A&B course are qualified to coach first teams according to the instructions of both the AFC and QFA.   Fahad Thani also thanked the QFA Vice President for his keenness to attend the closing ceremony of the course, as it gives participants the motivation to develop and improve their technical level. He emphasized that the current course is one of the most successful and distinguished courses through the continuous interaction between the lecturers and the students, their seriousness, and their commitment to achieving the maximum benefit from the scientific and practical experiences of the lecturers since the start of the course, which witnessed the presence of players who possessed experiences through a long and successful career, especially Qatari players.   He emphasized that Qatari football always needs competent coaches who help in developing the players' level through practical training that provides them with experiences and the required academic qualifications to ensure their continuous knowledge of the latest technologies in the world of football, which are constantly evolving.   Furthermore, the training course for Levels A and B is considered one of the most important courses organized by the AFC, qualifying the participants to become coaches capable of practicing the coaching profession within professional clubs. It is dedicated to professional players at a high level who have played 150 matches or more in their football career, whether in professional leagues or international matches.   The course was held in four stages. The first stage took place from June 20-28, 2022, followed by the second stage from August 6-16, 2022. Then, the third stage took place from September 17-25, 2022 and finally, the fourth and last stage was held from October 1-10, 2022.