The Saudi women's national football team lost its second friendly match against its Malaysian counterpart, 1-0, on Tuesday, at the Aspire Academy Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha, as part of its preparatory camp, which concludes on Wednesday. The loss came after Al-Akhdar won the first friendly match against the Malaysian team with two unanswered goals, scored by players Saba Tawfiq and Mubarakah Muhammad. The Saudi national team will bring down the curtain on its camp in Doha, on Wednesday, before resuming local competitions on Thursday, with matches in the round of 16 of the Saudi Women’s Federation Cup.
Amir Tawfiq, Director of the Commercial Sector at Al-Ahly Club, confirmed that developing the commercial sector and enhancing sources of income represent a major goal for the club, noting that the opening of the new store comes within a trend aimed at developing the fans’ experience and expanding the spread of Al-Ahly’s products in a way that is commensurate with its history and fan base. Tawfiq said, in a special statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, that the opening of the store with its new features and different identity represents a promising step in the path of developing the commercial sector, adding: “Our goal is to develop the commercial sector in all its aspects, and one of our most important goals is to increase Al-Ahly Club stores and its products everywhere, in a way that befits its history, its greatness, and the greatness of its fans.” He explained that the public interaction that the store witnessed on its first day reflects positive indicators, saying: “Praise be to God, this is the first initiative in the new form, and the interaction was very wonderful on the first day, and we have a lot of room for development in the future.”
The director of the commercial sector stressed that the goal goes beyond opening stores to building a commercial system that contributes to supporting the club’s financial resources, and benefiting from its large fan base to provide products and services that meet the aspirations of fans, stressing that serving Al-Ahly by increasing sources of income represents the main goal of these steps. The opening of the store witnessed the presence of a number of stars from the first football team, led by Brazilian Roger Ibanez and Senegalese Edouard Mendy, along with midfielder Naif Masoud, where the players interacted with the fans and took memorial photos with them, in a scene that reflected the public presence accompanying the initiative. The development of the store comes within Al-Ahly’s efforts to enhance its commercial presence, transform its fans’ connection with the club into broader opportunities to market its products and diversify its financial resources, in a way that supports the sustainability of revenues and gives the club’s brand a greater space to spread.
The Saudi Al-Hilal team defeated its host Al-Sadd of Qatar with a score of 2-0, on Tuesday, in Doha, in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite Football Championship.
Englishman Ollie Watkins scored the first goal for Al Hilal in the 40th minute, and Portuguese international Ruben Neves added a second goal for the visiting team in the 65th minute from a penalty kick.
This victory raised Al Hilal's score to 6 points in third place in the West Asia group, with a goal difference from leaders Al Ain, UAE, and runner-up, Esteghlal Tehran, Iran.
As for Al Sadd, they are at the bottom of the overall standings with no points after losing their first two matches.
Al Hilal will play the next match in this tournament in the third round with Al Shamal of Qatar, while Al Sadd will be a guest of Al Qadisiyah of Saudi Arabia.
