QFA
There is no compulsion on the minimum number of teams participating in the 24th edition of the Gulf Cup, to be hosted by Qatar from 29 November to 9 December, it was confirmed by a top football official on Tuesday.
Jassim Al Rumaihi, Secretary General of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF), said on Tuesday: “We are proud of all the Arab member countries but we did not invite any federation from outside the AGCFF umbrella to participate in the 24th Gulf Cup. There is no compulsion on the minimum number of teams participating in the event.”
Regarding news reports published on social media platforms about certain ‘invitations being sent to other football federations’, Al Rumaihi said: “The AGCFF members at its last General Assembly Meeting in Doha decided to postpone the consideration of these amendments to the next meeting.”
Al Rumaihi said the next AGM will be held on the sidelines of the 24th Gulf Cup to be held across Qatar later this year.
Al Rumaihi said this was done in order to give the AGCFF committee more time to study the items and amendments to be applied for the next edition of the Gulf Cup.
The latest AGCFF meeting discussed a number of important topics, particularly the selection of judicial committees from the names nominated by the member associations, and the discussion of the proposed amendments to the competition regulations. The AGM was attended by representatives from the associations in Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen and Qatar.
The Gulf Cup is held every two years between Arab Gulf countries. The first edition took place in 1970 and was won by Kuwait.