Nasser al-Ali: I congratulate every Saddawi on the 46th anniversary

Nasser al-Ali: I congratulate every Saddawi on the 46th anniversary
22 Oct 2015
​H.E. Nasser Mubarak al-Ali, Vice President of Al-Sadd Sports Club, congratulated all those who are involved with the club – officials, staff, players, fans – on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the founding of the club on 21st October 1969. He pointed out that Al-Sadd began as one of the big clubs and will continue going forward in its journey of success, winning at domestic, Arab, Asian and even world levels.
Al-Ali said: “In the 46 years of its existence, Al-Sadd has won 65 titles from all of the different tournaments it participated in at every level, be it local, Gulf or Asian. At the very beginning, Al-Sadd won the second division championship and then after promotion to the first division, won the league in 1971/72. Since then Al-Sadd has continued the journey, becoming the Boss that it is now.”

As for the factors which led to the current stature of the club, the Vice President said: “Hard work and sincerity are the real reasons behind Al-Sadd reaching this position; in addition to that, the importance given to youth has been a secret of success. Al-Sadd is considered as the club gives the most importance to the growing talents and we always work for their development until they become a crucial member of the first team. Over 46 years, a large number of players have graduated from Al-Sadd, gaining prominence in the national teams. History will not forget all those generations that achieved great things, in addition to the current generation of Khalfan Ibrahim, Hassan al-Haydos, Ali Asad, Ibrahim Majed, Abdulkarim Hassan and also the upcoming generations who we count as the future leaders.”
Al-Ali went on to add: “Al-Sadd is a huge establishment that has never been and will never be shaken throughout its history. It will contune to be the holder of great achievements and records in Qatar and the prime supporter of the national team.”
As for the current campaign, the Vice President said: “We have not reached the necessary level yet and we need to work more to improve the levels of performance in order to stay at the summit and get wins, especially as the competition is fierce. The draw against Umm Salal in Round 2 was a setback but will not be repeated with the keenness of the team to win the league title, which has been away from the club for two years.”

Al-Ali also said that he was happy with the return of Al-Rayyan and Al-Arabi to the competition for the title, especially as they, along with Al-Sadd, are the historically successful clubs in Qatari football. He referred to the two clubs as his friends, while also adding that the current war of words between the officials of the two represent a message to the fans to attend the matches. The Vice President also said that the league winner will not be known until the final rounds as the competition is strong from teams such as Al-Sadd, Al-Rayyan, Al-Arabi, Al-Gharafa, Lekhwiya and El-Jaish.
Asked about the Spanish star Xavi who now plays for Al-Sadd, the Vice President said: “Xavi is a living legend of the footballing world and is considered as the balancing force of the team, helping the players with his work rate and I hope the players benefit from his presence.” He was also full of praise for Muriqui, who he said was putting up great performances in the last few rounds, while adding that more is expected of him.
Al-Sadd honoured youth setup head Hassan Othman prior to their match against Qatar SC, and the Vice President was glowing in his praise of the legendary coach. “Hassan Othman is the Eusebio of Qatar,” he said. “He was one of the best players in the past, in addition to having a huge role in the development and graduation of many talents from the club academy over 40 years he has worked for the club. He definitely deserves to be honoured.”
The Vice President further went on to talk about the Asian titles that Al-Sadd won in 1989 and 2011, saying that it was the most prestigious title in the continent, one which gave Al-Sadd the chance to play at the Club World Cup. He added that the club has a plan to win the third Asian title in three years time.

Al-Ali, who is one of the co-founders of the club, concluded his talk with the club website saying: “Al-Sadd fans are the first and last supporter of the team and we hope they always remain behind the team, supporting from the stands as we look to achieve our prime target – the Qatar Stars League title.”