Ensuring the safety of all the participants and following strict Covid-19 protocols, Aspetar, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital continues to support Asian Football, by providing outstanding medical support to the AFC Champions League Competition currently being held in Qatar.

Aspetar in its role as the medical services provider to the AFC champions league, is also dedicating highly qualified doctors to support several Asian clubs that are participating in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Aspetar have been requested to provide five clubs participating in the tournament with club doctors to cover the absence of their medical team during the tournament. These teams were unable to bring their own doctors to Qatar and addressed the AFC and QFA for medical coverage.

Five Doctors from Aspetar have been assigned to assist these teams throughout the tournament.  (Sydney FC – Dr Antonio Tramullas, Perth Glory FC – Dr Faical Meddeb, Melbourne Victory FC – Dr Sami Ben Ayad, Suwon Samsung FC –Dr Zaher Bensoltane and Chiang Rai United FC - Dr Nebojsa Kolarov).

Commenting on Aspetar, Sydney FC Head Coach Steve Corica said: 

They’ve been sensational. They’re a FIFA accredited medical centre and they helped us out with Dr. Toni.  He has been excellent and has fitted in seamlessly with the way we work and how the team needed him.

Luke Brattan, Sydney FC Sydney FC Midfielder had to go and get a scan at Aspetar and he said,

it was an amazing facility where they looked after me extremely well.

In Addition to the club doctors, Aspetar experts, namely, Dr Khalid l Khelaifi, Omar Al Sayrafi, Celeste Geertsema are assigned to be venue medical officers while Dr Liesel Geertsema has been assigned as AFC medical delegate.

To ensure the safety of everyone involved in the AFC Champions League, players and officials had to undergo COVID-19 testing before their arrival in Qatar while subsequent tests were conducted every three to six days.

All players and officials including participating Aspetar experts have been put under a bio-secure bubble which has limited their movement only to the hotel, stadium and training sites.

With Qatar Football Federation willing to be the host for the tournament, the rest of the 2020 AFC Eastern Zone Champions League is taking place in Doha from 18 November to 13 December, with all the medical support provided by Aspetar’s medical team with a strict COVID 19 protocol.

The Aspetar protocol has been in force since the resumption of the Qatar Stars League (QSL) in July, continuing into the current season. It was also used successfully during the AFC Western Champions League where 15 teams participated in Doha in October.

Qatar authorities’ approval to host this competition helped ensure the completion of the matches after the suspension of football activity last March due to the restrictions due to Covid-19.

Through the National Sports Medicine Programme, Aspetar’s unique pioneer programme, Aspetar is providing medical coverage to all clubs and federations including more than 100 national and International major sports events held in Qatar every year. 

About Aspetar:

Aspetar is a world leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, with a world expert team, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility that sets new standards internationally.

In 2009, Aspetar was accredited as a “FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence”. In 2013, Aspetar was adopted as a reference collaborator centre by the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) Health Ministers Council and “IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health” in 2014. 

In 2015, Aspetar has been recognised as the “IHF Reference Centre for Athlete and Referee Health”.  In 2017, Aspetar was awarded World Health Organization’s Patient Safety Friendly Hospital-Level 3 designation.

In 2018, Aspetar – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital was officially awarded Diamond Level accreditation status by Accreditation Canada. This is the highest level of accreditation award possible under the program and awarded to highly committed and quality-oriented organizations that monitor outcomes, use evidence and best practice to improve services.  Aspetar is now the first hospital in the State of Qatar to be awarded this coveted Diamond Level Status. Aspetar is a member–organisation of Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s innovative sports and healthy lifestyle destination.