It was a pleasant surprise for everyone when the name of HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, former president of the SC appeared as a possible candidate, returning to the presidency during the coming period, with Muhammad Muqalled Al-Muraikhi as his vice-president. Both candidates have considerable administrative experience and many GA members welcomed the news. Everyone is awaiting the official announcement of the return of Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed to take over the responsibility of managing the club.
It is noteworthy that the candidacy has been closed twice without anyone presenting himself for elections other than Muhammad Mubarak’s list, which was rejected. There was also Ghanem Abdullah Al-Muhannadi who withdrew in support of Muhammad Mubarak. There was a proposal by many members to resolve matters in the GA by choosing Muhammad Mubarak Al-Muhannadi to take over the presidency of the SC by appointing a committee to manage the SC’saffairs for a year, especially that GA members who are entitled to run for presidency are present and do not wish to run for elections. The representative of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, however, rejected the proposal, confirming that it is contrary to clubs articles of association and that rules stipulate that candidacy is opened for a period of three days, after which the candidates’ papers are reviewed for a period of three days by the Membership and Electoral Affairs Commission. Following that, the General Assembly convenes. In the event that there are no nominations, a temporary council is appointed, and any action to the contrary is considered invalid. Therefore, the next GA shall be held on 27th July, that is, after approximately seven days. In addition, an announcement shall be made officially in the Gazette by the club.
The GA witnessed heated discussions about the fines imposed on members who do not pay their annual membership fees. Moreover, discussions also dealt with that there should be an exemption for old players and athletes who served the SC from such fees and that those who have not paid should be fined to avoid much hubbub about this matter. The Ministry, it was also said, should hold the clubs accountable for their failure, not its members, and that members should be notified early in relation to that matter.
The Assembly also discussed many topics on the agenda. This included endorsement of the previous meeting’s minutes and discussing the president’s report on the SC’sactivities for the 2019-2020 sports season, next year’s work plan and the approval of the SC’sstrategic plan. Topics on the agenda also included approval of the final statement for the fiscal year ending on May 31st, 2020. Approval of the budget project for the next fiscal year was also discussed, in addition to appointing an auditor, reviewing the members’ proposals, and electing members for the Membership and Elections Affairs Committee. Five main members were elected: Abdullah Yusuf Al-Muhannadi, Muhammad Ghanem, Ibrahim Jafal, Muhammad Issa and Nasser Al-Hamidi. Three reserve members were chosen, namely, Abdul Rahman Hassan Al-Emadi, Jasem Al-Obaidli and Abdul Latif Hilal.