AC Milan’s Beach Soccer team poses for a picture ahead of a match. RIGHT: Barcelona’s Beach Soccer team are seen before a match. Both clubs will play a match against each other at Katara Beach on January 26.
DOHA: Beach Soccer teams Barcelona and AC Milan will clash in an exhibition match at Katara Beach on January 26.
The match will be played at 7:00pm just before the final of the AFC qualifiers of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013.
Nasser Al Khater, Vice Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, is eager to welcome the European giants to Qatar. He said: “We look forward to having two of Europe’s best beach soccer teams square off at Katara during the Asian qualifying rounds. We are positive this will be an exciting match-up. Best of luck to both clubs.”
FC Barcelona and AC Milan will arrive in Doha on January 24, and will train at Katara during the morning of January 25.
Training sessions will be open to media, and a mixed zone will be open after the training sessions.
As with the matches of the AFC qualifiers of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, entry to the Barcelona vs AC Milan beach soccer friendly will be free of charge.
Barcelona is led by Ramiro Amarelle, one of the best beach soccer players in the history of the sport.
The Spanish giants have three world champions among their ranks: Egor Eremeeey, Dimitry Shishin and Andriy Buklhitskiy, who was voted best goalkeeper in the world during the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2011 in Ravenna, Italy.
FC Barcelona have twice reached the quarterfinals in 2011 and 2012 at the Mundialito de Clubes, a club beach soccer tournament held in Brazil.
Meanwhile, Italy’s AC Milan have two key players from the Swiss National team, who are the current European Beach Soccer League champions.
Dejan Stankovic and Stephan Meiser will be supported by the backbone of the Italian Beach Soccer National Team – Paolo Palmacci, Stefano Spada and Simone Feudi.
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