JEDDAH, 8 August 2007 — Qatari football club Almeraikya held a press conference at their Doha headquarters to introduce Talal Al-Mishal, who was recruited from Saudi club Al-Ahli.
Striker Al-Mishal joined the Qatari club on a one-year contract valued at SR2.75 million. Almeraikya officials say the new player is a perfect deal for the club and his presence would pose a threat to other teams in the second league of Qatar football’s new season. The team management acknowledged that Al-Mishal is one of the best strikers in the Saudi league. The best striker at Ahli club, Al-Mishal was a many-time Saudi national team player. He played a major role in the Saudi participation in the 2000 Asian Cup in Lebanon.
The club hired the services of Al-Mishal as part of the team rebuilding in a bid to advance to the main Qatar football league. The club also signed deals with local players like Sahn Al-Shammari, Ahmad Darweesh and Jaber Muhammad.
The coaching staff was also beefed up by hiring a coach from Ghana, Abdul Razzak, who has a good track record at the helm of a number of teams in Africa.
For his part, Al-Mishal expressed delight in joining his new team. He said that he would do his best to help Almeraikya top the second league and qualify for the main league. He thanked the Qatari management for choosing him and giving him the opportunity to join the club.
Almeraikya missed promotion to the main league after placing second in the second division last season on 24 points.
