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Kuala Lumpur: Friendlies in Holland and Real Madrid and getting a new goalkeeper are part of the plans of Qatar’s Al Sadd in their contest for the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2013 beginning August.

Al Sadd have reigning champions Sanaye Giti Pasand of Iran, Uzbekistan’s Ardus and Chonburi Bluewave of Thailand as group rivals after they were drawn into Group B during a draw in Kuala Lumpur for the current edition to be hosted by Nagoya, Japan.

Al Sadd stormed into this year’s competition after they emerged as the winners of the six-side Zone 1 Qualifiers in Malaysia in April having beaten Lebanon’s Al Sadaka 5-2 in the zone’s final.

“We are going to train hard for this tournament,” Al Sadd coach Mohammed Eisa Al Kubaisi (pictured) told The-AFC.com on the sidelines of a seminar on the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 Thailand in Kuala Lumpur he was participating in.

“We are going to take part in the Kuwait Mini World Futsal Club Tournament during the fasting month. After that we plan to go to Holland and Real Madrid, Spain for friendlies to get more international exposure for the players.

“We may also be getting the service of a new goalkeeper to beef up the squad. This is necessary because I think our group is very tough, in fact tougher than Group A.

“Last year’s winners Giti Pasand are in our group so this makes it even more interesting. We will do everything we need to win the tournament.”

The defending champions will be Al Sadd’s first opponents when the competition opens on August 27.





Posted by Kevin Hartwell