DOHA: Qatar’s Osama Al-Tairi will be out for a significant period after suffering a torn cruciate ligament injury during the national team’s training camp ahead of the AFC Asian Cup, which is set to be hosted by the country.
The Qatar Football Association stated that the 21-year-old Al-Rayyan player suffered the injury during a training session and will undergo surgery shortly at the Aspetar hospital in Doha.
Al-Tairi’s performances for Al-Rayyan helped him win the 2022-23 QSL Best U23 Player award in his first full season for the club, after signing from Muaither in February 2022.
Last week’s preliminary squad announcement for the Asian Cup had seen national team coach Tintin Marquez give Al-Tairi his first senior international call-up, as the youngest member of the team.
Qatar is set to play Lebanon in the opening fixture of the tournament on January 12.
