Qatar Football AssociationEmir Cup
06.05.2018 4:09 in : &

Doha: The official launch of the promotional campaign and activities for the 2018 Emir Cup final was held on the pitch of the iconic Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday in the presence of Qatar Football Association (QFA) officials, representatives of the event sponsors and partners and members of the local and foreign media.

Abdullah Al Saai, Tournament Director of the 2018 Emir Cup, Abdullah Marrafi, Programs Manager, Al Kass Sports Channels, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Director of PR and Corporate Communications at Ooredoo, and Rashid Al Mohannadi, Head of Sports Department at Sout Al Khaleej Radio, were present during the press conference.

Khalid Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communication, Qatar Football Association (QFA), Yousif Abdulhadi, Senior Business Development Manager, QMIC Emir Cup Mobile App, and Ari Lahiri, Director General of Ibticar, Emir Cup ‘Tawseel’ initiative for fans with disabilities, were also present.

The press conference began with the arrival of the sponsors, guests and media at 6pm followed by a reception. The press conference took place at 7:00 pm. The opening session of the press conference was led by Abdullah Al Saai and Abdullah Maarafi. Abdullah Al Saai announced all matters and final preparations related to the final match.

The Emir Cup partners announced the activations and events planned for the fans ahead of the final match.

A new service, the Emir Cup mobile app for fans was also announced at the press conference. The Emir Cup mobile application is created to provide a unique service to the fans who want to attend the matches at the stadiums. It contains information about the stadiums, events and activities, ticket prices, ticket sales locations, stadium parking locations and how to access the stadiums easily and efficiently.

‘Tawseel’, Emir Cup 2018 initiative, in which Ibticar, a Qatar based company that serves people with disabilities by providing accessible transportation to wheelchair users and to those that have difficulties with mobility was announced during the press conference. The initiative will provide free wheelchair accessible transportation to all fans with disabilities for all Emir Cup matches.

“We are pleased to officially announce the start of the promotional campaign for the Emir’s Cup final across the country,” Abdullah Al Saai said on Saturday. “I welcome the guests at this gathering being staged for the first time. The Emir Cup trophy tour that kicked off last month has already visited schools, government institutions and offices of the sponsors during the last few weeks,” Al Saai said.

“I take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the event sponsors. Their valuable support is what makes our event more popular,” Al Saai said.

“Today, we have gathered here to announce that 8 luxury cars and some 250 prizes will be drawn following a raffle draw at the Emir Cup final,” he added.

Al Saai said a special mobile app – related to the Emir Cup final – has been developed for fans who can easily download it. The Tournament Director also explained the availability of smart ticket service – which is presented for the first time to the Emir Cup fans – which includes information about the seats, the parking lot and information on the access gates. Al Saai said there will be special services for people with special needs.

“There is no doubt that these services we are offering, which will be implemented this season for the first time, will be offered at all future events also,” Al Saai said. “I call on all local media outlets and all social media platforms to play their roles in inviting football fans in the region to attend the Emir Cup final,” he said.

Abdullah Marrafi, Programs Manager, Al Kass Sports Channels, said: “We are proud of our partnership with the Qatar Football Association and our sponsorship of the Emir Cup as the Host Broadcaster of the tournament. This is a constructive partnership that has been going on for years.”

“The Al Kass channels has planned special coverage for the 2018 Emir Cup through a distinguished set of programs and live coverage of events for the most popular tournament in the country” Marrafi said. “There are a number of programs that will present detailed analysis to the viewers on the Emir Cup final.” he added.

Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Director of PR and Corporate Communications at Ooredoo, highlighted the new events offered by the company to the fans of the Emir Cup.

Al Muraikhi said: “We’re delighted to be once again supporting such an exciting and important sporting event for Qatar. The Emir Cup is a Qatar tournament, featuring our players and people and we encourage you all to go along and cheer them on.”

“We are proud to support the Emir Cup again. We are keen to be part of this tournament every year. All Qataris and residents of this country are invited to witness what we hope will be a thrilling game of football. We urge the fans to come to the stadium and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and cheer for their favorite teams and players,” Al Muraikhi said.

The Emir Cup is the latest sporting event which Ooredoo will support as part of the company’s continued investment to encourage the next generation of players. As the main Telecommunications Partner for the Emir Cup, Ooredoo is hoping to build excitement for the contest by organising a virtual reality football game at Qatar Mall from 10 May – 18 May, to countdown to the final of the competition, which will take place on 19 May at Khalifa International Stadium.

The VR game, will see members of the public become virtual goalies. The player who saves the most balls in the allotted time, will be the winner.

Ooredoo will also produce an advertisement dedicated to the Emir Cup encouraging all fans to go along and cheer on the teams.

Rashid Al Mohannadi, Head of Sports Department at Sout Al Khaleej radio, said the 2018 Emir Cup final will get the maximum coverage.

“This is the most prestigious football tournament in Qatar. Our radio station pays great attention to the Emir Cup. We host football stars and analysts from Qatar and abroad and put out their views. We monitor the match proceedings with full attention so the listeners never miss a beat,” Al-Mohannadi said.

Khalid Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications, QFA, said organisers had completed the preparations for what will be the 46th edition of the tournament.

“This is the most popular football tournament by far. We take this opportunity to congratulate everyone on the approaching final with energy and enthusiasm. The final will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium on May 19. The match will be played during the Holy month of Ramadan,” Al Kuwari said.

“There are many activities and programs lined up for the much-sought after final. Our journey began with the Emir Cup trophy tour and now we are heading into carrying out the Emir Cup final promotional activities over the course of the next few days,” Al Kuwari said.

Al Kuwari said QFA has identified various ticketing centers across Qatar. Fans can purchase tickets from Qatar Mall, Villaggio, Landmark, Al Khor Mall, Lulu Airport, Souq Al Wakrah, Souq Waqif, Lagoona Mall, Qatar Sports Club, Doha Festival City and Qatar fnac (Lagoona Mall/Doha Festival City).The tickets can be bought from 11:00 am until 10:00 pm until the first batch of 10,000 runs out.

Those purchasing the tickets also get to know details related to their visit to the Khalifa International Stadium on May 19.

Yousif Abdulhadi, Senior Business Development Manager, QMIC Emir Cup Mobile App, talked about app that is being presented for the first time. “We are proud of this partnership between QMIC and QFA. We see this as the first step on our shared continuous journey towards serving Qatari Football fans. This application is the result of a remarkable collaboration between two national entities on the path of producing valuable services to the people of Qatar and enabling smart living. Thus, QMIC committed to utilize its knowledge and achievements with location services application “Wain,” to produce the Emir Cup app, hoping it will add to the experience and enjoyment of this tournament.” Abdulhadi said.

Ari Lahiri, Director General of Ibticar, Tawseel Emir Cup Initiative for fans with disabilities concluded the conference by saying: “Our partnership with QFA reflects our commitment towards those with special needs in Qatar; we constantly aim to improve accessibility for people with disabilities to ensure that sports events in Qatar are open to all. We thank the QFA for the support provided towards the initiative and hope this is the beginning of a fruitful relationship with the Qatar sports sector.”