Georgetown in Qatar Men’s Football Team Wins HBKU Tournament

The Georgetown Hoyas men’s football team were the confirmed victors of the spring 2014 season with their win of both the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Football League and the HBKU Tournament.

For the tournament win, the Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) team defeated the Texas A&M Qatar team, the Aggies, in a thrilling 3-2 final match.  The action-packed game saw goals by Souleyman Mana (Class of 2014), Ali Al Hashmi (Class of 2014), and Seif Talaat (Class of 2015).  The win highlighted the team’s cohesiveness and the supportive leadership the players received from Coach John Ngurugwe and Team Manager Dimitrios Sardellis.

Hoyas Team Captain, Souleyman Mana (Class of 2014), congratulated every member of the team and said:  “This season was far from easy and I am very proud to say that we are the first team to ever win the league title and the cup in a single season. Despite the fact that we had a bad start to the league, we pulled off a comeback by winning nine consecutive matches.  This sort of fortitude and conviction, and the support of our coach and the Georgetown community throughout the season helped us grow stronger as a team to achieve the impossible.”

“It’s a great team and they worked hard to develop and improve their skills,” Ngurugwe said.  “I’ve watched how the team has unified and worked as one to reach their goals.  It’s been great seeing their growth over the years and to see them rewarded for all their hard work, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Team member Salar Khan (Class of 2015) explained that each member of the team played a vital role in winning the football league and the football cup: “There were ups and downs on the field and off the field; however, the team captain, Souleyman Mana, managed to get the team together and he led us to victory. By the end of the league, the team spirit was at its highest. The team worked hard and ultimately we achieved our goals all together. Of course nothing would have been possible without our ‘twelfth man,’ our loyal Georgetown fans.”

In addition to Mana and Khan, the team roster consisted of Kareem Malas, Abdullah Ahmad, Omar Hashem, Owais Khan, Haroon Yasin, Fahad Al-Musalmani, Mohammad Taimur, Martin Carceles, Samuel Hodgson, Burhan Mahmoud, Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Majed Al Afeish, Xiaofei Wang, Ali Al-Hasmi, Abdulaziz Al-Buainain, Emir Hasanovikj, and Seif Talaat.

Team manager Sardellis thanked the loyal Hoya fans, including students, alumni, staff, and faculty, who showed up at games and gave enthusiastic support. “I am really proud of our players. They are students dedicated to their academics who love this game and they came all together and fought hard to get what they want. Even though it was a difficult start in the beginning of the season, the players exemplified dedication, hard work, team spirit, and leadership skills that assisted them in reaching first place.”  

It was a busy season with the HBKU football league holding over 30 matches with six teams participating.  The Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) football league saw major regulation changes this season.  The changes included implementation of the eleven-a-side match format.  In addition, the league rulebook has been brought up to international FIFA standards.