Al Sadd rope in Sanchez as new coach

Posted by author July 23, 2024 Football

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Al Sadd has officially announced the appointment of Felix Sanchez as the head coach of its football team.

The contract, effective from the upcoming 2024-2025 Qatar Stars League (QSL) season, spans two years, concluding in the summer of 2026.

Sanchez, 48, will join the team in their current pre-season training camp in Malaga, Spain, which continues until July 29.

Prior to this role, Sanchez gained extensive experience coaching Qatar’s youth national teams at the Aspire Academy. He subsequently led the Qatar national football team from 2017-2022.

Distinguished coaching career

Sanchez has had a distinguished coaching career, marked by significant achievements with Qatar’s national teams.

He guided the Qatari youth team to victory in the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship, defeating North Korea in the final with a goal from Akram Afif, a player Sanchez later guided to dizzy heights.

Subsequently, he led the Qatari Olympic team to the final of the AFC U-23 Championship. Sanchez’s crowning achievement came in 2019 when he led the Qatari national team to their first-ever Asian Cup title, defeating Japan 3-1 in the final.

The team also reached the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Championship in 2021.

Following Qatar’s early exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sanchez stepped down as the national team’s coach.

He subsequently took charge of the Ecuadorian national team but was dismissed after their round-of-16 defeat at the Copa America.

Meanwhile, Al Sadd, fresh off a domestic double (QSL and Amir Cup), is gearing up for the new season.

The club has strengthened its squad with the signing of Spanish striker Rafa Mujica on a four-year deal.