Last season, the Qatar Football Association decided to increase the number of professional players to seven, including two foreign players born in 2002, who are under 24 years old, and any of them is allowed to be registered as a goalkeeper, in coordination with the Central Scouting Committee. This news was certainly supported at the time in the process of the seven professionals, but there was anticipation for the two under-age players because it was implemented for the first time in Qatari football. Some wanted to see the choices and the extent of their impact on their teams despite their young age, and whether this decision would produce distinguished elements or would it usually be the senior players who would steal the spotlight? But frankly, last season, many names of under-age professionals emerged and shone, and there were even names whose level was better than the senior professional. Therefore, we confirm that the decision was completely correct and was one of the most important phenomena in last season in Qatari football, especially since these players have names that play with their national teams. For example, Al-Arabi player Wassim Qadari, who was called up to the Spanish national team list for the European Under-19 Cup, and there are many examples, and the young names were on time against the big players in the Stars League.
prominent stars
The prominent stars were many in the first season after the implementation of the decision, and among these players were the French player Seko, the Al-Ahly player who knows well how to translate opportunities into goals in the opponents’ goal and was classified as one of the most prominent players on his team, while in Al-Gharafa Club, the duo of Uruguayan Fabricio Diaz and Senegalese Seydou Sano stood out and were among the most important elements that presented themselves strongly with the Al-Gharafa Panthers and competed for titles last season. The Brazilian duo, defender Andre Amarua and playmaker Gabriel Pereira, stood out in the ranks of Al-Rayyan, and in the ranks of Al-Shamal Club, the Algerian player Mohamed Omar, who has a wonderful talent, along with the Moroccan defender Younes Al-Hanash, who came from the French team Paris Saint-Germain. In Al-Wakrah, the Moroccan duo Ayoub Assal and the Jordanian Omar Salah presented more than distinguished levels with Al-Nawakhtha and contributed to winning the Qatar Cup title with the team for the first time with the national coach Ali Al-Marri. In Qatar Club, the player Raul Sanida was an important and wonderful element in the middle of the field, and was one of the most prominent players with the Qatari king, while the Umm Salal team included the Senegalese national team goalkeeper Landing Badji, who is considered a talent Football received a lot of praise, especially since before joining Barzan Falcons, he achieved the African Cup of Nations for under 20 years, which was won by the Senegalese national team, and goalkeeper Badji won the award for best goalkeeper in the tournament, so his numbers were distinctive and he was one of the most prominent goalkeepers of the season with Barzan Falcons, and also the Muaither team, despite its relegation to the second division, but it presented a good player, Fouad Saleh, and the matter is not limited to the Stars League and also even in the second division, there are distinctive names such as the Al Khor team duo, goalkeeper Mohammed Bashir and Abdullah Nouri, and the Al Shahaniya duo, Mohammed Ibrahim “Simo” and goalkeeper Burki, who contributed greatly to the team’s return to the Stars League.
effective decision
Such decisions have a positive impact, not only on specific teams, but on Qatari football in general. Everyone saw the strength and excitement of the matches, the league and even other tournaments last season after the increase in the number of professionals and the presence of under-age players. This created a kind of balance and rivalry between the teams, which made it difficult to predict and anticipate the winner before the matches, something we had been missing greatly in the past years. However, the previous season was the start of many upcoming seasons that will be rivalry and fiery between all the teams that are currently working hard in the preparation phase in their external camps before the start of the new season of the Ooredoo Stars League, scheduled to start on the ninth of next August.