More than disappointing was the result of the Qatar national team in the World Cup after it became the first to leave. The opportunity was golden, but the “dream” went unheeded.
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Years of preparation and great capabilities…the result is disappointing (Archyde.com)
Qatar spent more than $200 billion to organize the 2022 World Cup and did not skimp on its national team to be worthy of its first participation in the World Cup.
But, what was the result? Qatar did not survive more than two matches before leaving the World Cup with only one goal in last place in the group.
It is a more than disappointing result for this team, which should have appeared in a better way, parallel to its country hosting the tournament.
Let us give an example of that, and so as not to go too far. South Korea, which was the first Asian country with Japan to host the World Cup in 2002, what did it do? And what was the result they got? They organized a successful tournament, and in parallel, the Korean national team surpassed itself and reached the semi-final match, after overcoming prestigious teams such as Portugal and Italy on its way, before losing to Germany 0-1 in the semi-final.
What surprises us most about the Qatar national team, far from the available capabilities, is that it has been undergoing a preparatory program for the 2022 World Cup for more than 10 years from the date Qatar obtained the hosting rights.
Indeed, it provided and facilitated all means for Al-Annabi to rise to his level and be ready for the World Cup, as it was remarkable that in these years the Qatar national team played in the “Copa America” (South American teams) despite being from Asia, then played in the Gold Cup. For the CONCACAF region (North and Central America and the Caribbean) and not ending with its participation in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in the continent of Europe without counting its results, as it came in the Portugal group, and therefore this team competed at the highest level, and in front of large teams, and it was supposed to develop and gain Experience and experience in the major challenges, but this is what did not happen in the current World Cup.
However, why was the Qatari result disappointing? Certainly there is a technical reason, and it is related to the coaching staff led by Spaniard Felix Sanchez, as it would have been more useful for Qatar to work to prepare its “World Cup generation” with a more qualified and famous coach, and this is easily available, but the Qataris gave this coach confidence after winning the 2019 Asian Cup, which instead From the fact that the Qatar national team benefited from it to develop, on the contrary, it declined in its level and was eliminated from the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup, although the tournament was on its land, and then it was eliminated from the semi-finals of the Arab Cup 2021 on its land as well.
But the important reason is the identity of the Qatari team, as you cannot expect a better result from a team that includes more than 7 naturalized players. These players will not care much whether Qatar loses or wins, and they will not be affected like the Qatari players, and they will not perform in the matches with all their capabilities to raise the name of a country that is not their home country, even before the start of the match from the moment the national anthem is played.
To confirm the failure of the great Qatar national team, it is enough to compare the results of other Asian teams in this World Cup. The Saudi national team defeated Argentina led by Lionel Messi, and the Japanese national team defeated Germany, the world champion 4 times, in addition to the South Korean national team tied against Uruguay with its stars, and compensation Iran’s national team suffered its first loss against England, by winning the second match well over Wales, led by its star Gareth Bale, while the Qatari national team was completely far from all these results, although its matches against Ecuador and Senegal were much easier than facing Argentina or Germany, despite hosting the World Cup. On his land, he has been preparing for the championship for a long time.
Certainly, the Qatar national team will not get such a golden opportunity again to play in the World Cup and to have the World Cup in its country. A “dream” lost by the Qataris and gone with the wind.