Qatar Central Bank named champions of Aspire Banks League

Qatar Central Bank (QCB) have been named the champions of the Aspire Banks League, following a tough match against Qatar National Bank (QNB) which was decided by penalties. The match saw strong performances from both sides, but the goalkeepers kept the score steady at 1-1 throughout.

QNB scored the first goal in the first half, only for QCB to quickly score an equaliser. The teams continued play back-and-forth with a number of attempts at the goalposts, but these were defended squarely by the goalkeepers and the match went to penalties, where QCB’sdefence won out. The match was attended by Mr. Jassim Al Baker, Assistant Head of Financial and Administrative Affairs at Qatar Central Bank, as well as by Mr. Ali Al Kuwari, CEO of QNB, and also Aspire Zone Foundation officials and representatives from participating banks.

Mr. Jassim Al Baker, Assistant Head of Financial and Administrative Affairs at Qatar Central Bank, expressed his delight at the organisation of such tournaments, praising Aspire Zone Foundation for its efforts. He commented: “Such a tournament is a great motivation to employees to take them out of the workplace to practise sport, providing them with more energy and, as a result, they are more productive. I have heard very positive feedback from the participating employees in this league. I encourage the continuation of such tournaments and would like to thank Aspire Zone Foundation for the amazing organisation. My appreciation also goes to the participating banks for their contribution in the success of this league.”

For his part, Mr. Abdullah Al Khater, Events Manager at Aspire Zone Foundation, said: “Our message focuses on spreading awareness amongst the community of the importance of sport, and the organisation of this league comes in line with this message. Our activities are not limited to employees, but the Foundation has a wider programme which runs throughout the year, targeting all community segments and ages to encourage them to follow a healthy lifestyle and to make sport a part of their daily lives. I would like to congratulate QCB on their win, and congratulate all the participating banks because, with the success of this league, everyone is a winner.”

Mohammed Issa, QCB team manager, expressed joy at the victory of his team: “My thanks go to the Aspire Zone Foundation for giving bank employees in Qatar the opportunity to participate and compete in this exciting league. We are delighted with this win, after many difficult matches, but the determination of our team led us to this big win.” Mr. Ali Al Kuwari awarded the first place trophies and medals to QCB, while Mr. Jassim Al Baker awarded the second place winner and Mr. Abdullah Al Khater awarded third place winner and match referees.

The Aspire Banks League was launched in October 2015 with the participation of 14 banks, including Qatar Central Bank, Qatar National Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Masraf Al Rayyan, Barwa Bank, Qatar Islamic International Bank, Al Ahli Bank, International Bank Of Qatar, Khaleeji Bank, Qatar Development Bank, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, HSBC, and Standard Charted. The league followed the points system and encompassed 91 matches over three months.