De Sa kicks off new World Cup mission
ROGER de Sa has secured his fifth national team coaching job after signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with Qatar.
De Sa revealed yesterday morning that he and long-time colleague Carlos Queiroz will take charge of the Qatari national team as of March 1 until July 2026.
“The journey begins,” De Sa said, clearly proud of his latest appointment. “I will be the coach and Carlos will be head of football.”
It is a journey that has seen him work with Queiroz at two World Cups and two Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals.
They were in charge of Iran at last year’s Fifa World Cup in Qatar and it is there that De Sa says they were approached.
“It’s been coming for a while. The talking started at the World Cup and I then went for a visit to get a good look at the place and the facilities. We carried on with the negotiations and I signed yesterday (on Thursday) after they agreed to all my conditions.”
De Sa and Queiroz also worked together when they led Portugal to the 2010 Fifa World Cup that South Africa hosted. They were in charge of Bafana Bafana at the 2002 Afcon in Mali and then took Egypt to the final of the continental tournament last year.
He has already been to Qatar and acknowledges that they have their work cut out for them if they are to participate at a third World Cup together.
“The contract is up until the World Cup month and the objective is to ensure Qatar qualifies. I watched a couple of games and there are a few strong teams in the league. Their players are based all over the world. It is going to be similar to Iran where we will have to scout the players that are based outside. It is an exciting chapter for me.”
De Sa, who has previously coached Orlando Pirates, as well as the nowdefunct Bidvest Wits, Platinum Stars and Santos, says the Qataris are serious about becoming a force in the sport.
“They want to be big in everything, and they are especially keen to be a big player in world football. They want us to work with them to help them improve.”