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Monte Carlo International
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AFP
Qatar's national football team kicks off its 2019 Asian Cup on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 with a meeting with its Lebanese counterpart at the first tournament in Qatar since the beginning of the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf. Spanish coach Felix Sanchez is looking to keep his players out of the political hype.
In June 2017, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama, as well as Cairo, broke off relations with Doha following its recent accusation of supporting extremist groups, which Qatar denies. The crisis had a partial impact on regional sports, with an Emirito-Saudi demand to play the matches of the two clubs against their Qatari counterpart in neutral courts. But after the refusal of the continental union, the clubs played matches as usual on the principle of back and forth.
The Qatari team hopes that the experience will be reflected in the Asia Cup of Nations, which is also expected to join Qatar and Saudi Arabia in Group E (in addition to Lebanon and Japan). North Korea) and play in the third round of the first round on January 17, 2019.
Qatar are in the competition with a team of experienced players and young men, including Abdel Karim Hbadan, the mainland player 2018. His Spanish coach wants to focus exclusively on football.
They are very aware of him and I am convinced that during the tournament, they can stay focused on football and isolate themselves from everything else, "said Felix Sanchez before leaving for the United Arab Emirates.
The Qatar team arrived in the UAE city of Al Ain to play its first game against Lebanon on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019 at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium. Due to the suspension of direct flights between Qatar and the Gulf countries that broke their ties, the flight of the team crossed Kuwait.
Saud Al-Muhannadi, AFC Vice President, arrived in the UAE capital a few hours after the press prevented him from entering Abu Dhabi, who was traveling to Muscat. via Muscat. The organizers of the tournament refused to Al-Muhannadi, chairman of the organizing committee, to enter the United Arab Emirates.
Qatari media reporters also returned to their country after "the UAE authorities prevented Qatari media from covering the 2019 Asian Cup on the eve of the tournament," said the Qatar Sports Information Committee. in a statement received by AFP.
The committee found that all the documents held by these reporters were legal and allowed them to enter the United Arab Emirates for cover, denying that tournament director Aref al-Awani said in response to this question, noting that the journalists "did not have permits to go in advance".
"Black Horse" in the tournament
The players try to stay out of this atmosphere and focus on the tournament process Annabi is participating in for the tenth time. The best result of Qatar was the quarterfinals in Lebanon 2000 and home in 2011.
"I do not think it will affect us, many Qatari teams went to play in the AFC Champions League in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and they came to us as well," he said. goalkeeper Saad Alshib before leaving Doha.
"It's football and it's important to control yourself and play football."
On the pitch, Qatar, which is preparing to host the 2022 World Cup, has achieved positive results since Sanchez resumed training in 2017.
Aged 43, he has strengthened the Qatari group with many young players and has given Qatar a greater role than naturalizing foreign players to defend the national team.
Sanchez is one of Qatar's most famous young players. He came to oversee the first team after crossing most age groups.
Defender Abdelkrim Hbadan, 25, and his teammate Akram Afif, 22, who has played for Spanish clubs (officially linked to Villarreal and currently defending the colors of the loaned loan), should rely on defender Abdelkrim Hbadan, 25. years. 22) also played for Al-Duhail, who scored the top scorer in the 2018 Asian Cup for a 23-year-old.
"In general, we are ready for the championship and for the group, it is difficult.We still think of the first match of the group (against Lebanon) and we will play match after match and the goal is to us qualify from the group, "he said.
"Our ambition is to make the most of the tournament, but more importantly, we are going from one game to the next and not future events.
Hbadan said that the team's failure in previous competitions to skip the quarter-finals was not a knot for the 2019 version players.
"I propose that Qatar be the black horse of the tournament and, with the current generation of Qatar, I am confident that we will overcome the quarter-finals," he said.
Text:
Monte Carlo International
|
AFP
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