QH traces the country’s stunning rise as Asian champions which is always a motivating factor for the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2022
In January 2019, Qatar were ranked 93 on the FIFA computer, just three years away from their FIFA World Cup debut on home soil. A month later, Qatar jumped a massive 38 places to be ranked an impressive 55 in the world thanks largely to its spectacular AFC Asian Cup title triumph in the UAE.
Coached by Felix Sanchez – a former Barcelona colt coach – Qatar’s title win in the UAE against Asia’s best was not just a battle against the odds but their series of wins was full of heroism on the field of play. Just as it was stunning, the title-winning run by the young Qatar squad was not a flash in the pan. It was the culmination of astute planning by Qatar Football Association and their resourceful mechanism that delivered stunning results.
This scenario is worth studying: Qatar with a player pool of barely 5000 footballers of all ages and yet it emerged Asian Cup champions in 2019. Putting together a fiercely contested football league was one of the moves that brought about positive results for the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts.
A quick scan from the past shows Xavi, the Barcelona giant, Andre Ayew, the Ghanaian national team captain, French legendary defender Marcel Desailly, Belgian international Toby Alderweireld, star Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, top scorer at the 2014 FIFA World Cup James Rodriquez of Colombia, Brazilian freekick specialist Juninho, popular coach of the modern era Pep Guardiola, Diego Maradona’s contemporary Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina, Spanish legend Raul Gonzalez, Dutch hero Frank de Boer and Javi Martinez are some of the names who have played in the Qatar Stars League, the country’s premier football league.
With 12 clubs namely Al Sadd, Al Gharafa, Al Rayyan, Al Ahli, Al Arabi, Al Duhail, Al Shamal, Umm Salal, Al Gharafa, Qatar SC, Al Sailiyah and Al Wakrah battling for honours in the QSL every season, the regular football season has become a good training ground for national team players like Akram, Afif, Hasan Al Haydos, Almoez Ali, Albdelkarim Hasan, Bassam Al Rawi, Assim Madibo and Saad Al Sheeb. All the these players were part of the Asian Cup squad that lifted the trophy in 2019 under captain Hassan Al Haydos and coach Sanchez.
Qatar’s Spanish coach – 45 – has spent more than a decade in the country having started with the U-20 squad that won the 2014 AFC Asian Cup.
By beating North Korea in the final, Qatar joined the beaten finalists, hosts Myanmar and Uzbekistan as AFC qualifiers for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in New Zealand. Sanchez, fully backed by QFA and the Aspire Academy, nurtured most of the young members in the U-20 squad in Myanmar and groomed them for Qatar’s brightest moment under the sun when they won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. After assuming charge of the senior side in 2017, Sanchez set about preparing his young team for bigger challenges.
Always, it is the coach who gets credit but there are a lot of people working in my team. We have a nice group of people who are very professional and they have a lot of knowledge. We have assistant coaches, we have fitness trainers, goalkeeping coaches and the administrative staff, the team manager. They provide what we need to be at our best
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez
After landing in the UAE for the historic AFC Asian Cup, Qatar posted wins against Lebanon (2-0), North Korea (6-0), Saudi Arabia (2-0), Iraq (1-0), South Korea (1-0), the UAE (4-0, semifinals) and Japan (3-1, final) to become champions in the most spectacular fashion. Almoez Ali scored 9 goals in the tournament and was declared Most Valuable Player of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Despite playing the most important role in the careers of his young Qatari squad, Sanchez refuses to take all credit for assisting Qatar in winning the 2019 Asian Cup.
“Always, it is the coach who gets credit but there are a lot of people working in my team. We have a nice group of people who are very professional and they have a lot of knowledge. We have assistant coaches, we have fitness trainers, goalkeeping coaches and the administrative staff, the team manager. They provide what we need to be at our best,” Sanchez says in an interview. Sanchez’s Qatar journey started at the Doha-based Aspire Academy, the world’s biggest indoor sports facility where Qatar grooms its future sports stars like track and field giant Mutaz Barshim, who has gold medals in high jump IAAF World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games.
“In 2006, I joined Aspire Academy for age group national teams. It was a long process (to start with the juniors) and it is a big honour to have this kind of process. To reach the senior team is not usual in football. When I arrived in Qatar, the Aspire Academy had just begun running operations and it was a big project when I joined the technical staff. I worked on the set up then but it is different now. Things are better. I will not say it was by chance. The way they run things at U-16 or U-17, the way we were playing events. Everything was and is running well,” Sanchez recalls.
In my career it is obvious that I would not be here if I had not joined Aspire Academy. Now I am coaching the senior team. At Aspire, there are many people from many countries. Everybody contributed. I have been coaching this group since they were 15 or 16 years of age. With some players I have been working since 2008 or 2009. They have been growing from different stages. I have supported and helped them in their development. The players know their way and the way we want to train. That gives us the advantage. At the same time, the most important relationship is with the game on the field. A lot of them play together (at clubs). That helps. They have trained together for many years. They play together at the clubs. I don’t know if they see me as a father or a brother. It has been a long time. At the end of the day, they are football players. The confidence is there. They know who they are and what the country wants. They have a better atmosphere,” he adds.
Every day we were preparing during the training camp, we were constantly trying to improve and hopefully we’re going to have a good last few days of preparation before the World Cup starts. And yes, hopefully we’re going to be at our best level on November 20. In 2019, it was very difficult to think that Qatar could win the Asian Cup and we won it.
Felix Sanchez
In between guiding his team to AFC Asian Cup glory in 2019, Sanchez saw his boys reach the semifinals of CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States last year. After taking over the team when it was ranked in the 90s to its current spot at 50, Sanchez feels the gap is narrowing between his side and that of the best ones in the world. After spending months away in training across Europe and playing a series of friendlies this past summer, Sanchez wants Qatari fans to rally behind the squad set to make its debut in the game’s showpiece tournament on November 20 in a game against Ecuador. Senegal and The Netherlands are the two others teams in Qatar’s group.
“I think it will be a big occasion for the country. I hope people will enjoy the World Cup in Qatar. First time Qatar will play in the World Cup and it will be at home, so I think it’s unique. People have to enjoy these moments and I hope they will support us and cheer for the team and players. The players are going to appreciate that and give it their all to make the fans happy,” Sanchez says in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup.
“Every day we were preparing during the training camp, we were constantly trying to improve and hopefully we’re going to have a good last few days of preparation before the World Cup starts. And yes, hopefully we’re going to be at our best level on November 20. In 2019, it was very difficult to think that Qatar could win the Asian Cup and we won it.
Obviously, I’m not talking about Qatar winning the World Cup, but competing at a good level against those three teams is our challenge. Then this is football, and you never know what can happen.”
