Qatar coach is bullish ahead of opening tie
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez believes the World Cup can be a force for good.
The host nation has come under intense scrutiny over the organisation of the tournament, in particular the conditions endured by migrant workers who have built the infrastructure needed to stage it.
Qatar will make their World Cup debut with the curtain-raiser against Ecuador today, but the controversy will not stop when the football starts.
Spaniard Sanchez, who has worked in Qatar for 16 years – becoming manager of the senior team in 2017– was asked about the issues ahead of the match.
“A lot has been said about this, with some misinformation,” he said. “Some of the comments weren’t completely fair.
“Obviously the loss of human life during working is the greatest tragedy we can endure, whether here in Qatar, or elsewhere in the world.
“We hope this World Cup means that all together we can work to improve conditions of these groups.”
Such is the controversy, participants from all nations have faced questions.
When Ecuador midfielder, Moises Caicedo, was asked about it yesterday, coach Gustavo Alfaro stepped in before the Brighton player responded.
“Please don’t put us in trouble,” Alfaro said. “We are in favour of all human rights.
“They are good players with their own talents, their own dreams and hopes, and they deserve to be praised for that.”
Qatar, who won the Asian Cup title for the first time in 2019 and reached the semifinals of the 2021 Confederations Cup, have risen to 50th in the world rankings.
That’s six places below today’s opponents, whom Sanchez believes are clear favourites to win on paper.
Questions have been raised about the speed of Qatar’s rise, particularly as they have conducted much of their preparations at remote training camps behind closed doors.
But Sanchez said: “No one will be able to destabilise us with this criticism. We are not affected at all, and very much excited and motivated.”
Caicedo is one of three Brighton players in the Ecuador squad, along with Pervis Estupinan and Jeremy Sarmiento.
Alfaro said: “We have to make the most of the opportunity that these players are experiencing and how much they are growing,” he said.
“Ecuadorian football needs to grow and wants to grow, and we need to have at least 30 to 35 players in Europe.”