The QNB Stars League (QSL) 2019-2020 edition will go down in history as one of the most exciting seasons of the premier football competition despite being interrupted by a long coronavirus break. As the 12-team event heading for this weekend’s final round, the champions who will lift the Falcon Shield are yet to be decided, making it the most thrilling top-flight league event in Asia this year.
It was a three-way battle for title among Al Duhail, Al Rayyan and defending champions Al Sadd when the league was resumed on July 24 after more than four months of suspension due to COVID-19 pandemic. However, Al Sadd went out of contention in the penultimate stage with Al Duhail and Al Rayyan ensuring a new champions this season with victories in their respective matches last week.
Al Duhail – one point ahead of Al Rayyan – are leading the table with 49 points, and all they have to do to clinch the title is to beat Al Ahli in Friday’s game at Al Janoub Stadium – a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue. Al Rayyan, who will play Al Wakrah the same time at Al Sadd Stadium, will have to rely on result of Al Duhail match apart from winning their last game.
Nevertheless, football as they say is a ‘funny’ game and can bring stunning results on any day as veteran coach Arsene Wenger once said, “football’s beauty is its unpredictability”. This uncertainty in the sport will keep all stakeholders including the die hard fans of both the title-contenders on their toes till the final moment. With fans allowed at the stadiums to attend the games, the final round will set up a fitting end to the league, which saw competitive matches throughout the season.
In another milestone towards restoring the normalcy, the Qatar Stars League (QSL) last week, in co-operation with the authorities concerned allowed a limited number of fans to the stadiums during penultimate round. The fans attended the matches by following a host of precautionary measures. Among the protocols for spectators are wearing masks and maintaining social distancing during matches as authorities are doing their best to control the spread of virus.
Nobody could have imagined that QSL will culminate in such a fashion when lockdown brought life to a standstill some months ago. Ending the season unfinished or without determining the winners would have been a great disappointment for followers of the game. A sheer hardwork by authorities including the QSL, Ministry of Public Health and front-line workers made it happen.
