Al Sailiya, who attended, and we suffered from injuries and the departure of players
We experienced difficult pressure before facing Al-Shahania…and the upcoming matches are cups
The relegation struggle is different from last season… and Al Sadd is closest to the league
Al-Sailiya team is struggling hard to stay in the Doha Bank Stars League and not be relegated and return again to the second division league. Perhaps the victory that the team achieved at the expense of Al-Shahania in the last round, which is one of Al-Sailiya’s direct competitors, had a positive effect within the team, leaving the last place with 18 points in the penultimate position and also having an upcoming confrontation against a direct competitor, which is Al-Ahly club, which in turn has 19 points in tenth place, and the team hopes to continue the series of victories and stay with the big boys.. Al-Arab spoke with Al-Arab. One of the team’s stars is Fahd Younis, the goalkeeper of Al Shawaheen, who is performing at distinguished levels. Younis confidently indicated that Al Sailiya will not be relegated to the second division, attributing this confidence to the collective spirit and great responsibility enjoyed by the players. Fahd Younis also spoke about many of the points that we list in the dialogue during the following lines.
– First of all, tell us about the last win against Al-Shahania and how important it was for the team?
The victory over Al Shahaniya, which Al Sailiya team achieved by three to two goals, was thanks to God Almighty. Frankly, this match put pressure on the team, considering that Al Shahaniya was superior to us in the number of points, and with the few matches remaining in the league, it was important to achieve victory, and praise be to God.
-Does Al Sailiya have a strong chance of staying in the league?
I have great confidence that the team will not relegate to the second division, God willing. We are heading towards strong matches and cups, and we will play matches match by match. The next confrontation is against Al-Ahly, which is our competitor, and therefore we are looking forward to winning and continuing the series of victories, and after the Al-Ahly match, we will meet Al-Arabi, which is one of the strong teams this season.
Al-Sailiya is one of the teams that suffered the most injuries and players moved to other teams?
Indeed, Al Sailiya suffered a lot this season, and more than one player was changed. Khaled Ali returned to Al Rayyan again last January, alongside Mohamed Tabouni, who was injured, in addition to the departure of Mohamed Bin Yato, Adam, Nass, and Ali Alwan, who was injured immediately after joining the team. The situation currently has completely changed from the previous squad, especially in the front line, with the presence of the new players who recently joined the team in the winter transfers. Stability is always beneficial, and we faced bad luck with injuries and player transfers, but Al Sailiya, whoever attended, is strong in the team. The people within the team are the secret to success, especially in light of the wonderful atmosphere within the club and the management that provides us with all our needs. When any player joins Al Sailiya, he adapts quickly, and this is a wonderful thing. Everyone has the heart of one man.
What is your assessment of the relegation struggle this season?
The relegation struggle this season is different from any previous season. We see the number of points being very close and also many, and the teams fighting for relegation win against the big teams. For example, we witnessed the victory of Al Shahaniya over Al Rayyan, Umm Salal over Al Sadd, and Al Sailiya over Al Gharafa, among many other examples. This is evidence that the teams are not afraid of facing the big boys. We at Al Sailiya Club are able to continue with the big boys and we did not rely on the results of others. We only focus on ourselves.
– In your first season with Al Sailiya.. What is the difference between Al Shawaheen and Al Rayyan?
There is a difference indeed. Al Rayyan is a team that competes for the league and all tournaments and has the largest fan base in Qatar and the goal is always to make the fans happy. As for Al Sailiya, the goal is to remain with the adults, especially since this season the team is coming from the second division league.
On the occasion of the terrible… Do you wish to return to Al Rayyan?
Al-Rayyan is my first home, and if I am asked to return to its ranks again, I will certainly be ready for Al-Raheeb and will welcome it.
In conclusion…what are your expectations for the league champion this season?
I see that the Al-Shamal team is a strong competitor this season, as it has a postponed match and it is possible for it to do so and win the league title because it also has a distinguished number of players, but I expect that Al-Sadd will be the one who will be crowned with the league title as the champion, as the season started in a declining manner but returned to the top, which is the same scenario as last season.