Signing ceremony attended by Dr Khalifa Al Kuwari and FAF President and member of the FIFA Executive Committee Mr Mohammed Raouraoua Doha, Qatar (May 23, 2013) – Aspetar held a signing ceremony with the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) in Doha, which extended their existing partnership for another year, on Sunday, May 19. The agreement aims to provide medical support on and off the field to the Algerian national team in Qatar. Following the signing ceremony, the President of FAF, the governing body of football in Algeria, and a key member of the FIFA Executive Committee, Mr Mohammed Raouraoua, received a private tour of Aspetar’s facilities and expressed his admiration for the latest training equipment available to athletes. The agreement was first established in 2010 and stipulated that Aspetar would provide medical services to the Algerian national team, including comprehensive medical examinations of all the players. The Aspetar medical team accompanied the Algerian squad to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, the sole representatives of the Arab world, as well as to training camps around the globe. Commenting on the collaboration, Aspetar CEO Dr Khalifa Al Kuwari said, “We are honoured to renew our agreement with the Algerian Football Federation. It is our long-term vision to ensure the safety and well-being of all athletes here in Qatar and in the region.” Dr Al Kuwari added,

“The Algerian football team have some of the top Players in the region; making sure that they receive medical support is a task that we that we do not take lightly. We look forward to seeing what the players can accomplish in the upcoming football season”.

Members of the Algerian national football team that have been treated at Aspetar since the signing of the agreement in 2010 include Majid Bougherra, Nadir Belhaj, Adlene Guedioura, Hameur Bouazza, Mourad Meghni, Essaid Belkalem and Hassan Yebda, who recently attended a two week long rehabilitation programme at Aspetar in March 2013. The Algerian national football team is currently placed 35 on the official FIFA league table and is the highest ranked team in the MENA region. Aspetar is the world’s leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital and the first in the Middle East. Based in Doha, Qatar, since 2007, the hospital provides top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the art facility that sets new standards internationally. In 2009 Aspetar was officially accredited as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence (F-MARC).