Less than two weeks remain for the resumption of the QNB Stars League (QSL), the highest tier of professional football in the country. There’s been no football since the middle of March when the league was halted. When the COVID-19 situation became a threat, the state of Qatar stopped all football action along with other sports activities in the country.
After a complete lull for more than two months, the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) gave the green signal to resume the league from July 24 so that the 2019-20 football season could reach its conclusion.
Since early June, the players and the backroom staff at each of the 12 participating teams have undergone regular COVID-19 tests to make sure there’s no positive case. Currently the teams are busy playing friendly matches to test fitness of the players and the backroom staff along with the organisers. With teams sweating it out in preparation, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) is keeping a close eye on players and officials to ensure everyone associated with the game in the country adheres to medical protocols.
Last week, QFA’s Disciplinary Committee met under the chairmanship of Hassan Al Hammadi and penalised a group of six players for ‘non-compliance with MOPH’s medical protocols’. This decision to warn and impose fines was announced after a video conference that also included all members of the committee. The six players - Al Duhail’s Han Kwang-Song, Qatar SC’s Issa Ahmed, Al Rayyan’s Ahmed Al-Saadi and Al Sailiya trio Youssef Ayman, Ali Jasmi and Meshaal Al-Shammari - were warned and fined QR 30,000 each for not following the MOPH safety and hygiene protocols, according to a report posted on the QFA website. The warning and the subsequent heavy fines announced last week clearly show Qatar does not and will not tolerate any lackadaisical approach when it comes to tackling the COVID-19 menace. Be it players or residents in the country, everyone has to adhere to the MOPH safety and hygiene protocols.
With the resumption of football barely 12 days away, the football supporters in particular - and sports fans in general - will finally breathe a sigh of relief as three sports venues will host live action after more than four months of non-activity. The brand new Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium and Jassin Bin Hamad Stadium - all three with state-of-the-art cooling technology - will host the remaining five rounds of the league.
