DOHA —
Qatar’s World Cup squad trained on home territory
for the first time in four months Sunday as they seek to overcome some nervy
displays in preparatory matches.
اضافة اعلان
Hundreds of fans, mainly migrant workers, turned out
to see the players make their rare appearance in a Doha stadium after being
kept under wraps at camps in Spain and Austria.
Qatar, which has spent billions of dollars on new
stadiums for the first World Cup in an Arab country, is desperate to see the
side get past the first round group against Netherlands, Senegal, and Ecuador.
But the national team, who will make their World Cup
debut against Ecuador on November 20, lost 3–0 to Croatia’s under 23 team, 2–0
to Canada and this week drew 2–2 with Chile in their last three games.
“We are fully aware of the need to develop certain
tactical and technical aspects that didn’t unfold as we wanted,” said coach
Felix Sanchez.
“And we are working to correct the errors that were
apparent,” added Sanchez, who will take the team back into more weeks of
isolation on Wednesday when they head back to his native Spain.
The players remained upbeat despite the
disappointing results and being kept away from their Qatari homes.
“I think we needed this long period without the
pressure that we feel here, I think all the players are ready,” said midfielder
Assim Madibo, who has more than 35 caps.
Madibo also acknowledged that there were “details”
to correct but believed the camps were a success.
“We played a lot of games and a lot of training
sessions, we boosted our body fitness,” he said.
“We miss our families. I miss my family but we are
happy to be back,” said French-born defensive midfielder Karim Boudiaf, who has
more than 110 appearances to his name.
Boudiaf acknowledged the battle that Qatar will face
in Group A.
“We know that the World Cup is a very difficult
competition. Our group is also tough.
“We have Senegal, Holland, and Ecuador and they are
very difficult teams. But we are a good team and anything is possible in
football.”
All said it had been a boost to play in front of a
home crowd after the empty stadiums in
Europe for most of their recent games.
“Today in the open training session we saw the fans
supporting us and that’s proof that they motivate us to give double our
capacity,” said Madibo.
While Qatar has faced criticism abroad for its labor
rights record and the environmental fallout from the tournament, their fans are
committed to the cause.
Rapjael Kamasa said Qatar deserved its place hosting
the landmark tournament.
“It’s been hosted in Europe, it’s been hosted in South
America, it’s been hosted in Africa, it’s been hosted almost everywhere and an
Arab country hosting it is a good thing,” said Kamasa as he watched the
training session.
Read more Sports
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
