Qatar coach Felix Sanchez extends contract till 2022
Doha, Qatar: Qatar national team coach Felix Sanchez extended his contract through to the 2022 World Cup which the country will host, Qatar Football Association said on Monday.
The Spaniard, who replaced Jorge Fossati during the final stages of the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, which Qatar failed to qualify for, has been mighty impressive and in January led Al Annabi to an emphatic Asian Cup title in the United Arab Emirates.
The Asian Cup win, when Qatar defeated Japan in the final in Abu Dhabi, was the country's first major trophy and was achieved with a squad that is expected to form the bulk of the side at the World Cup finals in three years' time.
Sanchez has first-hand knowledge of the work that has been done since Qatar was granted the rights to host the FIFA World Cup in late 2010.
The Spaniard joined the Aspire Academy as a coach in 2006 and has worked with the core of the current national side, leading them to the 2014 AFC U19 Championship before moving on to take charge of the country’s team at the 2016 AFC U23 Championship.
Qatar reached the semi-finals of that tournament but narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but Sanchez remained in place to lead the country to another semi-final finish at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China.
He was then promoted to the head coach’s position with the senior national team to maintain his close links with a group of players that includes Almoez Ali, Akram Afif and Abdelkarim Hassan, who should all be vital to the country’s performance in 2022.
