Hisham Aljundi
Doha
The Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs on Wednesday welcomed the members of Qatar’s national football team who won the AFC Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi recently.
The children at the centre received the national heroes with flowers and recital of national songs. The team members shared lighter moments with the children by playing football and taking photos with them.
The management of the Shafallah Center honoured the players at a large ceremony attended by journalists, social workers and representatives of other social service institutions.
Lalei Abolfain, CEO of Shafallah Centee, expressed her gratitude to the team for the visit which, according to her, contributes to the national efforts to empower the people with disabilities.
"Our children could finally join the national celebrations of the AFC cup victory. I could see the happiness in the eyes of the children who couldn’t make it to the national parades at the Corniche,” she said.
Mohammed al Saadi, director of Support Services Department at Shafallah, said the main aim of the visit was to delight the children and boost their patriotic feelings by involving them in the national events and celebrations of the country.
The players also participated in a mock match with some of the children and engaged in other fun activities with them at the sports hall at the centre.
Hassan al Heidous, a prominent player in the national team, stressed the importance of the visit. "It is our responsibility to contribute effectively to social activities and assist in the empowerment of those with special needs in the society,” he said.
"Qatar now has a strong and skilful football team that can pursue even higher goals in sport, especially after winning in the AFC cup,” Heidous said, noting that intensive preparations are going on for the World Cup 2022 to be held in Qatar.
The team’s visit was part of Qatar Foundation for Social Work’s efforts to empower people with disabilities and ensure their integration in the society.