By David Gold
December 28 – The youth teams of some of the world’s top teams, including European champions Barcelona, Juventus and Paris St Germain will be travelling to Doha next week for the first edition of the under 17s Al-Kass International Cup.
The tournament, which will be held annually, is jointly organised by the Al Dawri & Al Kass Sports Channel, the Qatari Football Association (QFA) and the Aspire Foundation, which seeks to develop top sporting talents.
It will run from January 8 to 17 at the outdoor football pitches at the Aspire Zone in Doha, and it is hoped that it will add a top-class youth football event to the international calendar and benefit some of the world’s top youngsters.
With Barcelona, Juventus and Paris St Germain joined by Ajax and Vasco de Gama amongst others, the tournament could host the next Lionel Messi or Alessandro del Piero.
It also marks another landmark in the growth of the sport in Qatar, which will host the 2022 World Cup, and is also bidding to stage the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, as well as the country’s increasing profile within the world of football.
Two of the teams, Barcelona and Paris St Germain, have strong links with Qatar; the former are sponsored by The Qatar Foundation whilst PSG were taken over by Qatari Sports Investments in July.
“This is going to be the first edition of an annual event that is set to further contribute to building on the foundations of a proud footballing nation up to the FIFA World Cup 2022 and beyond,” said Issa Bin Abdulla Al-Hitmi, general manager of Al Kass.
A total of $200,000 (£128,000/€153,000) will be on offer to the winning team as well as awards for the most valuable player in each match.
Japan’s Kashima Antlers, Al Jazira of the United Arab Emirates and Egyptian outfit Al Ahly will all be competing alongside the European and South American giants for the inaugural trophy, as well as two Aspire Academy teams.
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