Qatar coach believes success in Asian Cup will boost World Cup
By DPA, IANSThursday, January 6, 2011
DOHA - Qatar coach Bruno Metsu believes a successful Asian Cup will boost the World Cup in 2022, which the oil-rich Gulf nation will be hosting.
Metsu said on the eve of Friday’s opening match against Uzbekistan in the Khalifa stadium it was important the country did well.
“If we can do well at the Asian Cup it will be good for the future of football in Qatar,” the Frenchman said.
“I am sure that for 2022 Qatar will organise a fantastic World Cup. We have time to prepare a strong team over the next 11 years to be ready for the World Cup.”
According to Metsu, who sensationally took Senegal to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2002, the huge investments Qatar had made in sport were paying dividends.
“I think people will be surprised. The stadiums will be ready for spectators and players and will be fantastic for football,” he said.
“There are a lot of preparations to improve Qatar players and facilities and the whole world will be surprised in 2022.”
Qatar as hosts would be under pressure “but we will try our best to minimize this and do our best to play well,” the 56-year-old coach said.
“If our team plays a good game we have a good chance to win,” he added.
Qatar’s opponents in the Group A encounter are also looking for a win though.
“We are satisfied with our preparations. We had many training camps and our expectation is to win this tournament, just like all the teams here,” coach Vadim Abramov said.
“Before the start of the tournament all the teams are the same. It is by the second round that we will see what teams are like.”
Abramov had to make a late change to his squad after defender Yaroslav Krushelnitsky injured his knee in a friendly match on the weekend and had to withdraw.
In his place the coach called up forward Ulugbek Bakayev, to take the number of strikers in the squad to four, and the coach is hoping that some of them will be on fire in the game against Qatar.
“The opening match is a historical match. We want to show our best and we will do our best,” he said.
