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QFA General Assembly Elects Rashid Al Buainain as New President Till 2027

DOHA, (QNA) - The General Assembly of the Qatar Football Association (QFA) convened on Thursday to elect HE Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain as the President of the QFA for the 2023-2027 term. The newly formed Executive Committee for the upcoming term includes Hani Talib Ballan (Qatar Sports Club), Mohammed Khalifa Al Suwaidi (Al Rayyan Club), Hassan Juma Al Muhannadi (Al Khor Club), and Khalid Abdullah Al Sulaiti (Al Arabi Club). The Ordinary General Assembly meeting was attended by the President and members of the Executive Committee, as well as the General Assembly members from the 18 clubs, the Qatar Stars League Management, and representatives from Lusail, Al-Bidda, and Al-Waab clubs. Mr. Abdullah Hamed Al-Mulla, the Chairman of the Election Committee, and the committee members were also present. Distinguished guests, including representatives from FIFA (Mr. Hany Abu Reda and Mr. Essam Al Sahebani) and the Asian Football Confederation (Mr. Karim Haidar Al Zain), were invited to oversee the electoral process of the QFA. Following the first-ever electronic voting process in the elections, the votes were counted. Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, the President of the Qatar Football Association, received 16 votes, securing the presidency. As for the members, Mr. Mohammed Khalifa Al Suwaidi received 18 votes, Mr. Hani Talib Ballan received 17 votes, Mr. Hassan Juma Al Muhannadi received 16, and Mr. Khalid Abdullah Al Sulaiti received 15. His Excellency the new President of the Qatar Football Association extended his gratitude and appreciation to the members of the General Assembly for the great confidence they gave him, promising to continue working to serve Qatari football and raise its status by accomplishing more achievements in the coming years. His Excellency expressed his gratitude to the outgoing President, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, for his immense contributions to the QFA and Qatari football during his successive presidential terms. These terms witnessed numerous achievements, championship victories, and the successful hosting of international tournaments. He affirmed that HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani will continue to support and endorse the Qatar Football Association through his membership in the FIFA Council, leveraging his extensive expertise to benefit the QFA at regional and international levels. HE Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain his wish for the new Committee to succeed, emphasizing club supports indispensability. He highlighted the unity of purpose among all stakeholders, aiming for the benefit of Qatari football and its continuous growth to the highest levels. His Excellency also extended his gratitude and appreciation to the former members of the Executive Committee for their significant contributions and unlimited support to Qatari football during their tenure. He acknowledged the dedicated work of the late Saoud bin Abdulaziz Al Muhannadi across all levels in the past period. HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani chaired the meeting of the General Assembly before the electoral process, where Secretary-General Mansour Mohamed Al Ansari, then took over to present the assembly agenda. Al Rayyan, Al Arabi, and Al Shahania clubs were appointed to review the meeting minutes, while Al Gharafa, Al Khor, and Muaither were assigned as vote auditors. The minutes of the previous General Assembly meeting, held on March 27, was approved. Additionally, there was a vote on the Executive Committees proposal to grant the title of honorary president of the Qatar Football Association to HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani. The membership of Lusail, Al Bidaa, and Al Waab clubs was then voted upon and accepted. This was followed by the approval of the Presidents report, the presentation of the unified, audited, and consolidated budget, the statement of profit and loss, and the approval of financial data and the budget. HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani welcomed the attendees and paid tribute to the late Mr. Saoud Al Muhannadi, a brother, friend, and one of the most important figures in Qatari football. He thanked the General Assembly members, Qatari football officials, clubs, media, QFA employees, the Qatar Stars League Management, and Qatari fans for their immense support in previous periods. He also welcomed Al-Waab, Lusail, and Al-Bidda clubs, emphasizing the unity of the Qatari football family and commitment to the benefit of Qatari football. "After Jassim Al Buainain learned about my non-candidacy in the elections, he expressed his desire to run, and he was appointed as the Vice President of the Qatar Football Association on February 22, 2023. He was also entrusted by the QFA to manage the Qatar Stars League on February 27, 2023. Since then, I have decided that my brother Jassim Al Buainain should take on a greater leadership role within the Association. Therefore, he has prepared well in the past period, and I have been by his side in the past, and I will continue to be so in the future," His Excellency added. For his part, Vice-President of Al Rayyan Ali Salem Afifa expressed his great confidence in the competence of the new board of the QFA to achieve the aspirations of the Qatari fans during their term that extends for the next four years. In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he extended his thanks to former QFA President HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani for the period he spent since assuming the position in 2005, which was known for accomplishing many achievements for Qatari football, wishing success to the new board in the next stage, and all clubs be supportive of the federation in its next strategy. He also thanked all officials and the wise leadership for the great support provided to Qatari football and all competitions, hoping that the next new stage will be an extension of the series of previous successes. In the same regard, President of Al Ahli Club Abdullah Al Mulla expressed his gratitude for the former QFA board under the chairmanship of HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, congratulating His Excellency for his new position as honorary president of the QFA. He pointed out the great endeavors and achievements made by His Excellency, through which Qatari football was able to write a career full of achievements, whether by winning the Asian Cup in 2019 or being present in various continental competitions and most important presence in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Al Mulla wished the new QFA board all the success in managing the affairs of the game over the next four years and achieving more success at the level of the national team, clubs, and continental competitions. In a similar statement to QNA, President of Al-Markhiya Sports Club Ali Al Musifri said that the gains and achievements of the former board were clear and important and placed Qatari football among the elites in the continent and made huge efforts to achieve an undeniable qualitative leap. Chairman of the Electoral Committee Abdullah Hamed Al Mulla said that electoral process took place in the presence of all 18 members of the federation, who are representatives of the clubs and the Qatar Stars League, in a distinctly democratic atmosphere. He added that during the General Assembly elections, QFA decided to resort to the electronic voting process and move away from the classic method that was used in the past. Indeed, as everyone witnessed, this transformation helped save time and effort for those who have the right to vote, as the voting process did not take more than a minute for everyone who voted for the position of president or for membership in the committee, and this idea is applied for the first time at the level of Qatari sports. The Chairman of the Electoral Committee added that the idea of moving from traditional voting to electronic voting was very well received by the members of the General Assembly, praising the efforts of the work team to complete this project. (QNA)