Iconic Australian team to train in Doha, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi and Doha will play host to the Carlton Football Club, one of Australia’s most distinguished sporting teams, who have chosen Qatar and UAE as their training base for a week-long high performance, pre-season camp.
 The club, which is based in Melbourne, is the most successful team within Australia’s largest and most popular domestic sporting organisation - the Australian Football League (AFL).
 In its first ever visit to the region, the club is spending two weeks based at the ASPIRE Academy for Sport Excellence in Qatar with the delegation of 50 players, coaches and fitness staff then set to arrive in Abu Dhabi on November 3.
 The team will utilize the world-class training facilities at the Emirates Palace and will have the opportunity to experience a vast array of recreational activities across Abu Dhabi for team development and bonding.
 “We are honored to be part of this event and to host Carlton Football Club at Emirates Palace and in Abu Dhabi which is certainly becoming the region’s sports city and hub,” said Bugra Berberoglu, Emirates Palace General Manager. The club will find all it needs with the wealth of facilities and services the Palace will offer especially with our sports facilities that are second to none.”
 Top of the team’s agenda will be hosting a unique community sporting event on Friday November 4 at the Emirates Palace. 
 The day will include an open training session aimed at educating the public about AFL, followed by an introductory youth training session held by the players for children aged five to 12.
 Former AFL premiership player, now Carlton’s Senior Coach, Brett Ratten said the team was very excited about their first visit to Abu Dhabi and was looking forward to spending time introducing the concepts of AFL to the locals.
 “Our time in Abu Dhabi will be divided between our pre-season training commitments as well as promoting our team and our game within the region,” Brett said.
 “There is a lot of interest in our trip from our members and supporters, so we are look forward to experiencing all the gifts the UAE has to offer and promoting this back to Australia.”
 Carlton’s visit has already generated much attention from Australian media and will provide a direct boost in promoting Abu Dhabi tourism opportunities into the Australian market. 
 The visit was a direct outcome of a previous Emirati delegation trip earlier this year to Australia, by the Department of Municipal Affairs, who were looking at infrastructure management and world’s best practice. 
 “As a football team we are looking for every advantage to ensure that we can move to the top of our game, which is why we decided to hold our first overseas pre-season training camp here,” Brett said.
 “With a wealth of training and leisure facilities, Abu Dhabi is a top international sports hub for elite sporting clubs across the world, who are looking to push the benchmarks of their pre-season training.”

Australia wallops Uzbekistan 6-0

The Socceroos qualified for the AFC Asian Cup final with a massive six unreplied goals past hapless Uzbekistan at the Khalifa Stadium on Tuesday to book a date with three time champion Japan on January 29th. Two goals in the first half and another four in the second half recorded the highest score in the ongoing AFC Asian Cup.

Addressing a post-match conference, Australia coach, Holger Osieck said, "We had a brilliant, fantastic show."

"Its a holiday today in Australia, its the right present to the Australian public," said Holger.

Reacting if the scoreline was as expected, Holger said, " That's unreal, yes we wanted to win but not this score."

Uzbek coach, Vadim Abramov said after the match, "Am sorry for the fans, its a big loss and we made too many mistakes."

The goals started pouring when Galatasaray of Turkey striker Harry Kewell opened the score-sheet in the fifth minute when exchanges of passes between him and Cahill released him to unleash a left shot to register his third of the tournament and his 16th international goal for country.

Asian Player of the year 2010, Sasa Ognenovski registered the second goal in the 35th minute.
David Carney made amends for his first chance when he second Australia's third goal in the 65th minute when he collected a through pass from Matt Mckay. Brett Emerton with just twelve minutes on the pitch scored the fourth goal in the 74th minute when a clever passed squared him inside the box to tap in to beat helpless Juraev.

Valeri completed the rout as a pass from Mckay releases him to shot for goal in the 82nd minute, and a minute later, Melbourne Victory striker Robbie made it six for the Socceroos in the 83rd minute.

A game largely full of chances in the first fifteen minutes also saw the Uzbek side creating one, when Ulugbek Bakaev dribbled his way into the Aussie defense and was hacked down by Luke Wilkshere, which attracted a yellow card and a free-kick.
Maksim Shatskikh curled a free-kick beyond Mark Schwarzer's far post before Australia almost grabbed a second goal on the half-hour mark when Carney intercepted a pass just inside his own half and the left-back burst forward down the wing but as he tried to chip Juraev the keeper got a hand to the ball before Uzbekistan cleared.

Australia doubled its lead and Carney was again involved. The defender's floated free-kick from the left was knocked down by Tim Cahill among a crowd of Uzbek bodies and Ognenovski was fastest to react to the loose ball to rifle home from seven yards as Australia went in at the break with a two-goal lead.

Carney scored the third goal when he dribbled from the left-side of the box and he slipped a finish under the body of the advancing Temur Juraev.

Uzbek hero in the quarterfinal match Ulugbek Bakaev got his second yellow card and the marching order after his reckless tackle on Luke Wilkshere in the 67th minute to open more spaces for the rampaging Australians to add another in the 74th minute when Wilkshire's long ball caught out the Uzbek defence and Kruse squared for Brett Emerton to slide into the empty net.

The Socceroos were running rampant and Juraev produced a safe from Kruse's shot from inside the box and the the striker had time and space to release McKay, who cut the ball back for the midfielder to score from a yard out.

Kruse added a sixth after his tame shot beat the deflated Juraev; and he got encomiums from his coach for his brilliant effort.

"Kruse is a young player and i gave him the opportunity to play for a longer period, he always does a great job in training."

"I encouraged him to go for it and he made some passes for goal for his teammate," said Holger.

Qatar residents celebrate world cup hosting right

Doha erupted in cheers on Thursday when the news spread that FIFA has picked the country as the host of the 2022 World Cup ahead of the United Sates, Australia, South Korea and Japan. The announcement of the vote by Fifa President Sepp Blatter in Zurich was greeted with delight from patriotic and loving supporters of the Qatar bid.

The news was received with great joy as the Qatar 2022 Bid committee staged a fan zone at the Aspire Park, saw residents of the city honking their car horns in wild celebration of the victory.

Crowds watching the live broadcast on a giant television screen at the Aspire Park started arriving from 2pm as families came with their canopy, mats and chair to witness the historic event.

Children’s faces were painted with the Qatar maroon colour and the national flag, T-shirt, trumpet and scarves were freely given to thousands of fans.

As the evening approached the crowd became thicker, and the Vuvuzela took the air as young Qatari’s blew the trumpet with chants of “Qatar, Qatar, Qatar.”
Aardina Richards, a Dutch national said, “I have been in Doha for three months and I am happy for the Qatar victory but sad for the Netherlands & Belgium bid, though back home people weren’t expecting victory because there are lots of issues that needs to be solved than building stadiums and staging a World Cup.”

Shyju V an Indian resident expressed his joy, when he said, “Qatar’s World Cup bid put on a characteristically polished presentation, its successfully assuaged concerns about its heat, telling everyone that Qatar play a significant role in the heart of the Middle East.

With FIFA giving Qatar the hosting right it will definitely be a unifying factor in the region and a plus for global peace.”

By hosting the world cup Qatar will be fulfilling the dreams of every Arab, said Haithem Rashid, a Tunisian resident.

Hosting the biggest soccer fiesta will boosts the economic fortunes of the country and the inhabitants as whole, said Yemi a Nigerian resident.

Sharif Marri, a Qatari resident, said, “I want to thank Fifa President Sepp Blatter for creating the environment that won Qatar this high ranking and historical feat. We all know Qatar in terms of staging world class events and its football followership is well known to all as witnessed in the Brazil versus Argentina match. I think we are on track, and the game has just begun.”

Qatar will be the first country to host the world cup in the Middle East, with the 2018 edition going to Russia ahead of the joint Spain & Portugal bid.