DOHA: The Amir Cup organising committee has said that preparations are complete for the final between Al Sadd and Al Arabi set to take in attendance of fans at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadium Al Rayyan.

Head of marketing at the committee Khalid al-Kuwari said that 95% of tickets of 50% stadium capacity were sold during a press conference yesterday. That priority was given to fans of Al Sadd and Al Arabi. Remaining tickets have been granted to football fans so they can get to enjoy the match.

Al-Kuwari said that the tickets reservation and sales process awarded after carrying out a Covid-19 test on the ticket holders did not face any issues. He praised the role played by both Al Arabi and Al Sadd for marketing the tickets of the final, which will also see the inauguration of Al Rayyan Stadium.

He added that ensuring all fans in the stadium had carried out a Covid-19 test did not affect the sales process. He highlighted that demand for tickets continues to increase, maintaining that the tests were carried out to ensure everyone’s safety.

Head of the facility at the committee, Hassan al-Kuwari, said that holding the final and inaugurating the fourth stadium of 2022 FIFA World Cup sends a message to the World that Qatar will be ready to host the worlds biggest footballing event two years from now.

Al-Kuwari said that preparations are running smoothly to hold the final that will coincide with Qatar’s National Day celebrations. He added that Al Rayyan Stadium is now ready to host the fans. He also said that the final would serve as an excellent opportunity to test the stadium and the fans experience.

He encouraged the fans to come early; gates will open three hours before the match, and adhere to all health precautions required. He also said that food and drinks would not be allowed inside the stadium.

Security Commander of Al Rayyan Venue, Abdulaziz al-Mawlawi, said that the services of the host country are one of the tasks required by FIFA in hosting any sporting event, pointing out that these tasks concern everything outside the security fence of the stadium, especially concerning co-ordination with government or private agencies or various services, be it related to transportation, security or infrastructure, as well as the readiness of the facilities around the stadium and the readiness to receive the fans.

He revealed that more than 7000 parking spaces have been provided for the fans at Al Rayyan Stadium and provided parking spaces at Education City, and shuttling the fans to the match stadium, amid precautionary measures.

For his part, head of the facility at the Amir Cup Organising Committee, Major Abdullah al-Ghanem touched on the plans for security preparations for the final match, with an emphasis on the emergency plans, pointing out that there will be eight tents for security checks, five of which will be allocated to the fans. The security plan was developed to guarantee the security and safety of everyone when entering and exiting the stadium, ruling out that the security measures would cause traffic jams in the area surrounding the stadium.

The Advisor to the Minister of Public Health for Sports and Emergency Affairs Dr Abdulwahab al-Musleh explained that the Amir Cup final and the opening ceremony of Al Rayyan venue would witness a particular medical protocol that has not been applied in any sporting event held during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic so far, indicating that Qatar will be the first country in the world to allow the entry of so many fans in a football match under these circumstances.

Al-Musleh called on the fans to adhere to all health measures and procedures applied during the match, especially concerning social distancing, wearing masks, and sticking to the seats allocated to each fan, to preserve the safety of every one in particular and society in general.