(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Rizwan Rehmat / The Peninsula
CHANGZHOU: Coach Felix Sanchez feels Qatar can have a ‘very competitive football team in the future' considering the heavy investment made to develop the national teams at the junior and senior levels.
Qatar, who are preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, have bagged key event wins in recent years to raise visions of a strong national squad in the future.
In October 2014, Sanchez guided the juniors to the AFC U19 Championship title glory in Myanmar. Qatar stunned DPR Korea 1-0 in the final match as the national side booked a ticket to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
A month later, the senior Qatar side under coach Djamel Belmadi clinched the Gulf Cup title with a memorable win over Saudi Arabia in the final.
The same year, Qatar kicked off the new season in 2014 by winning the WAFF Championship by beating Jordan in the final. In 2015, top QSL side Lekhwiya (now Al Duhail) reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.
Sanchez who has been given the task to closely monitor the Qatar U-19, U-20 and U-23 sides over the last four years, is currently coaching the national Olympic squad that stormed into the quarter-finals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup on Monday.
'Regarding the football in Qatar, as you know that we have the most important event in football to staged in Qatar in 2022. I think Qatar football is developing the right way. I see the evolution of the players from close quarters, Sanchez said in an exclusive interview.
'I see the evolution of the way the teams or clubs are playing. I am sure we will have a very competitive team in the future, the former Barcelona youth coach added. 'Trust me I have seen the young players work really hard, he said.
Abraham Mebratu, Yemen's Ethiopian coach, echoed Sanchez's sentiments about Qatar's rapidly developing football culture. Yemen have fulfilled their football commitments on Qatari soil due to the unrest back home.
'I have seen Qatar football closely. They play important events in the region and internationally and they have reached the top level as far as hosting and playing matches are concerned, Mebratu said in a candid chat during the Gulf Cup held in Kuwait earlier this month.
'Qatar's U-23 set-up is very good. That means they have very good foundation for young players. I am expecting them to develop further.
'They (the young players) get very good opportunities to develop their game. The players want to show very good performance. We can notice that. They have some quality young players also. That doesn't mean they are lacking in experience but teams will have to be careful. They have respect of other teams, he added.
When asked about the junior players competing at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, Sanchez said his young players are aware of the huge responsibility on their shoulders.
'The players are motivated. We feel very proud to be playing this important tournament in China. We are trying to do our best. We are aiming to produce better results in each match. We are working very hard. The players have the right amount of motivation to play well in this important tournament. We must have good performance to get good results, Sanchez said.
In July last year, Qatar topped Group C to qualify for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup currently on in Changzhou, China.
Qatar craftily beat Turkmenistan and India to seal their berth at the China event where they have already posted three wins against Uzbekistan, Oman and hosts China.
'Hopefully the (Qatar) players will learn from this experience and that they become better and better, Sanchez added.
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