Al-Sadd coach Félix Sánchez expressed his great happiness with Akram Afif winning the 2023 AFC Asian Player of the Year award.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference for the clash against Al-Rayyan, Sánchez said: “The entire Al-Sadd family is very happy for Akram. He truly deserves this award, as he had a fantastic season. He greatly helped the team, and the team also supported him in achieving this honor, and we are all very pleased with it.”
He added: “We hope there will be more achievements in the coming years because he is capable of it. He can win more because he is playing well this season as well, and we wish him all the best in the future.”
Regarding the upcoming match against Al-Rayyan, the Al-Sadd coach said: “Playing against Al-Rayyan is always different, but as usual, we must focus on securing the three points. This is our last league game before the international break, and it’s important to try and get a good result.”
He continued: “We know there are a lot of games, but I think the players are in good form now. We are getting good results, and this gives us the motivation to keep going.”
The Spanish coach noted that the Al-Sadd vs. Al-Rayyan clash is considered a special game and added: “There will be many fans at the game, as we have seen over the years, but for us, we need to play this game just like we play any other game.”
Félix concluded his remarks by saying: “We respect Al-Rayyan as a team and respect the players they have. We know they have a lot of strength, but we will play our way and focus on ourselves. We need to play well to compete at the top of the league table.”
For his part, Al-Sadd player Mohammed Waad also extended his congratulations to Akram Afif on winning the 2023 Asian Player of the Year award.
Mohammed Waad said: “We congratulate Akram Afif on winning the 2023 Asian Player of the Year award,” noting that Akram truly deserves the award for what he contributed to the team and the national team last season.
Regarding the upcoming match against Al-Rayyan, Waad said: “The clash against Al-Rayyan is tough for both teams. Our goal is to secure the three points and continue our winning streak. The Al-Sadd fans are our biggest supporters, and we look forward to seeing them at Thursday’s Clasico match.”
