Coach Sanchez determined to take Qatar to next level

Felix Sanchez’s (centre) association with football in Qatar stretches back to his arrival at the Aspire Academy in 2006.

• The Spaniard delivered Qatar’s first-ever senior title when he steered the country to the Asian Cup triumph in 2019

Felix Sanchez, the man who will lead FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar in their debut appearance at the tournament, is as much a father figure as he is a coach to a squad the Spaniard has shaped for well over a decade. Appointed as national team coach in 2017 to replace Uruguayan Jorge Fossati, Sanchez’s association with football in the Gulf state stretches back to his arrival at the Aspire Academy in 2006 from Barcelona. Few better understand the journey football in the country has taken since being awarded the hosting rights for the FIFA World Cup almost 12 years ago, having played an active role in steering the team towards the upper echelon of the Asian game. “I think Qatar is very well organised in terms of sport,” he said during his stint as the country’s under-23 coach. “We have the Aspire Academy, which is one of the main keys to building this national team.” “There’s a performance centre where we develop players and we work together with the QFA, with the Aspire Academy and with the clubs because all the nation is following the same target. Of course the result we can see…which gives us the proof that with hard work and good organisation we can achieve good results.” Sanchez spent seven years at the academy before taking over as Qatar’s under-19 coach in 2013 and, a year later, he led a team that featured four players of the likely FIFA World Cup squad to the Asian U19 Championship title in Myanmar. He moved on to work with the country’s Olympic team, creating a dynamic and exciting side that played in the Asian U23 Championship (now AFC U23 Asian Cup) in Doha in 2016 and narrowly missed out on a place at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Sanchez was appointed national team boss a year later but continued to work with the country’s under-23 team, leading that side to the U23 Asian Cup again in China in 2018 and in Thailand in 2020 before devoting his time fully to the senior team. By then he had delivered Qatar’s first-ever senior title when he steered the country to the AFC Asian Cup title in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, a win that quietened any talk a more famous or experienced coach would take the reins for the FIFA World Cup. “I am very proud to be the Qatar national team coach,” Sanchez said in the immediate aftermath of his side’s victory over Japan in the AFC Asian Cup final. “Today we did something that is historic, but I’m only thinking about today. It’s a great day for me, for the players and for the country and we’re going to continue working.  “Of course it can be news, about this person or that person, but we are focusing on our work. We are working and we have the full support of the QFA, the federation, the president and everyone, so I have no concerns. 2022 is in three years and this is football and you don’t know what is going to happen in two weeks. Now, it’s just time to enjoy this time and not think about the future.” Three years on and, with the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 only days away, Sanchez remains at the helm, ready to lead his team into a new era. (the-afc.com)