Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has replaced National team head coach Carlos Queiroz with Marquez Lopez - currently in charge of Al Wakrah club.
Qatar have parted ways with Portuguese Queiroz less than a year after he was appointed in the role and six weeks ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 to be held next month.
The experienced 70-year-old Queiroz coach and QFA parted ways by “mutual agreement”, the QFA said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The coach will be in charge of the Qatar national team at the 2023 Asian Cup, which will be hosted in Qatar next year,” the QFA said while announcing his appointment.
“The QFA expresses gratitude and appreciation to Al-Wakrah Sports Club for their cooperation and consent in facilitating Coach Marquez Lopez’s appointment as the national team head coach for the upcoming period.”
Queiroz was appointed in February as replacement for Spaniard Felix Sanchez, who led the national team to their maiden Asian Cup triumph in the UAE in 2019 and was in charge of their group-stage finish at FIFA World Cup last year.
The widely experienced former Real Madrid and Manchester United (assistant) coach was handed a four-year contract and the task of ensuring Qatar’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
However, he was let go after leading Qatar in 11 matches, which included four wins, four losses and three draws over a period of 10 months. Two of the wins were achieved in Group A of the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 gainst Afghanistan (8-1) and India (3-0).
Quieroz’s departure comes six weeks ahead of Qatar’s title defence at the Asian Cup 2023, which kicks off on January 12 when the hosts take on Lebanon at Lusail Stadium, the venue of the 2022 World Cup final.
Middle East teams Qatar and Lebanon are placed in group A along with Tajikistan and China in the Asian Cup, which runs from January 12 to February 10.
