DOHA: The Qatar Football Association (QFA) on Sunday inaugurated the Al Annabi Village in Msheireb as part of the promotional campaign to support the Qatari national team in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The official opening took place by raising the flag of Qatar in front of the company’s house at 8:22:20 (20:22) in reference to the 2022 World Cup year, after the country’s national anthem was played.
The village traces the history of the Qatari team and the stages it has gone through over the decades and monitors the most prominent achievements of the national squad.
The opening ceremony witnessed the attendance of a large number of football fans who enjoyed various activities organized by QFA in cooperation with Qatar Shell.
Dr. Hafez Ali, Director of Marketing and Communications at Msheireb Properties, said that the village is the result of the cooperation between QFA and Shell to support the national team in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
He noted that the opening ceremony was special and its date bore great symbolism represented on the clock (20:22). ) which refers to the World Cup year. He said the village will serve as a headquarters for the Qatari and resident football fans who ‘will stand behind the team in the World Cup’.
He said: “The event includes many activities for the fans as well as a distinguished exhibition that contains many memorabilia of the Qatari team including three trophies that the team won over the years, most notably the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.”
He explained that the village will receive fans daily from 4 in the afternoon until 11:00pm and that it will continue until December 18, the final date of the World Cup, which coincides with the National Day of the State of Qatar.
He said QFA will not stop at the Al Annabi Village as there are other activities lined up during the next few days, which aim to support the national team, as well as introduce the cultural and sports heritage in the State of Qatar, and focus on the achievements that have been made during the past years.
The events to be hosted by the Al Annabi Village in the “Company House” at Msheireb Museums include the pioneers of Qatari football and the qualitative shift that took place in the game’s practice, leading to the organization of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
By visiting the Village, young students and fans will learn about the history of the team, its players and achievements, he said.
For his part, Khaled Mubarak Al-Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications at QFA, said that the inauguration of the Al Annabi Village was carried out to support the Qatari team in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
He said: “These events and recreational activities offered to the fans come within the federation’s strategy to support the team in its World Cup journey. We are very confident that our loyal fans, who will be on time to support the team as well as enjoy the activities that will be presented to them.”
The QFA official praised the efforts of the sponsors and partners of the federation and supporters of the national team from various agencies, companies and institutions.
He concluded: “The campaign to support the national team which we will witness in the coming days will interest the fans. The activities are specially presented to them including the initiative to “decorate cars with Qatar flags, pictures of players and posters for the World Cup,” which will be held in Lusail in cooperation with Al-Nahdi Group. We have also distributed many gifts to the fans in different places in the country, and will continue in many areas during the coming days.”
It is noteworthy that QFA had earlier launched a promotional campaign to support the Qatari team in the World Cup, which included activities in addition to the launch of the digital content platform with a new vision to support the Qatari team.
The origins of the pioneers of the “company house” that hosts the village of “Al Annabi” go back to the Qatari city of Dukhan, the city that witnessed the first launch of football in the State of Qatar, in addition to highlighting the heritage neighborhood as an important tourist destination in the heart of Doha.
Source: Qatar Football Association