Moroccan midfielder Driss Fettouhi, who recently joined Al Sailiya for a period of one season, is one of the players with much experience in the Gulf region having played for Saudi Arabian clubs Al Ahli and Al Hazem among others.

Fettouhi spoke to qsl.qa about varied topics in an Exclusive Interview, on the sidelines of the Media Day organised by the Qatar Stars League at the Al Duhail Indoor Hall on Tuesday, as part of preparations for the 2021-2022 season.

How did you first come to Qatar to join Al Sailiya?

After the end of last season (2020-2021), I received more than one professional offer from some clubs, but I decided to accept the offer of Al Sailiya, as I preferred a new experience after the club officials spoke to me, in addition to Sami Trabelsi, who is a distinguished coach. He’s one of the big names among coaches in the Qatar league and have achieved many successes with Al Sailiya.

Also, after I received Al Sailiya’s offer, I inquired about some players who had experiences here, including Mehdi Benatia, who played in Al Duhail. They all gave me a very positive image and impression about playing in the QNB Stars League and being with Qatari clubs. That also encouraged me to accept Al Sailiya’s offer.

Are you ready for the kick-off?

We’re all preparing strongly as a team for the start of the season, in terms of training under the supervision of the technical staff led by coach Sami Trabelsi, after returning from our preparatory camp. I hope we’ve a strong and good start.

What’re your ambitions with Al Sailiya?

Our ambition as a team is to be better than last season and achieve positive results. Al Sailiya used to be in advanced positions in the league over the past few seasons and we have to regain the team’s reputation, and one of my goals is to help my team achieve more successes and provide the required addition.

Were you following the QNB Stars League before joining Al Sailiya?

I played before against Qatari clubs in the AFC Champions League, the last of which was against Al Duhail. In addition, I’ve friends as players from Morocco who used to play here, most notably Abderrazaq Hamdallah, the former Al Rayyan player, Benatia, the former Al Duhail player, Ismail Al Haddad, the present Al Khor player… I was following their career with their clubs and, as I mentioned, these players spoke positively about playing in Qatar and I’m happy with this experience and I hope to be a strong addition to the team.