Qatar - The African Mirror

Feb

2023

Qatar appoint Queiroz as coach until 2026 World Cup

QATAR has appointed Portuguese Carlos Queiroz as manager until the end of the 2026 World Cup, the country's football association (QFA) said. The 69-year-old managed Iran at last year's finals in Qatar but left after the team's group-stage elimination. Queiroz replaces Spaniard Felix Sanchez, who led Qatar through their ill-fated World Cup campaign, in which the hosts lost all three of their group matches and only scored once. "Today, Monday, the Qatar Football Association officially decided to appoint Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz as coach of our first national team until 2026," the QFA said. "Queiroz has a rich biography, great knowledge…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

6 moments in African football in 2022 that will be talked about for years to come

SPORT

2022 was a significant year for African football. It was a benchmark for the women’s game and a year that may mark the first real move into African football as a business rather than football as development. It ended with some thrilling matches at the men’s World Cup in Qatar, proving the real progress made by teams from African countries. The first full year of a return to the sport after the COVID pandemic, 2022 has shown that the African game is able to grow and claim its own space in world football beyond the headlines generated by star African…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

World Cup 2022: From Morocco to Cameroon, African teams claimed new records in Qatar

SPORT

JOEL OMOTTO, BIRD STORY AGENCY FOR the first time in history, Africa will be represented in the last four of a World Cup, after Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-final at the Al Thumama stadium in Doha. Before that stunning victory, the Atlas Lions and Senegal made it to the round of 16, making this Africa's best performance at the World Cup since 2014. All the African teams that competed at Qatar 2022 also won at least one match, for the first time in World Cup history. And it was local African coaches that led the five teams. The…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Morocco’s foreign-born contingent deliver in Qatar

SPORT

MARK GLEESON MOROCCO’S unexpected march to the World Cup semi-finals can be attributed partly to a policy of deliberately seeking out talent in the Diaspora to strengthen the national team and give them a better chance of success. Fourteen of Morocco’s 26-man squad were born outside the country, more than any other team at the tournament in Qatar, providing an eclectic mix of players from growing migrant communities across Europe who have helped them break new ground. The shock 1-0 quarter-final win over Portugal on Saturday made Morocco the first African and Arab country to reach the last four of…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Messi or Ronaldo? Football’s hottest debate rages on in Qatar

SPORT

PHILIP O'CONNOR IT may have been a rest day at the World Cup on Thursday but there was no stopping the football discussion that never ends - who is the better player, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? With no games in the Qatari capital for the second straight day, fans streamed to the Souk Waqif to shop and see the sights, and the decade-long debate about who is the GOAT - the "greatest of all time" - continued in the cafes and restaurants. Fans of Argentina, who meet the Netherlands in their World Cup quarter-final on Friday, and Portugal, who…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Morocco’s ‘avocado head’ plots another World Cup shock

SPORT

SHADY AMIR SPAIN will be favourites to beat Morocco in the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday but the teams' experiences in the group phase were a reminder of the unpredictability of tournament football. Spain, who humbled Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening game, finished second in Group E behind Japan while Morocco defied the odds to win Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium. The Spanish, world champions in 2010, lost their last group match to Japan and face a difficult test from a Moroccan side growing in confidence under coach Walid Regragui. After Morocco had beaten Canada 2-1…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

‘Exploited’ Africa proving worthy of more World Cup berths, Ghana coach says

SPORT

MARTIN PETTY AFRICAN teams' strong World Cup showing so far demonstrates a need for the competition to be more inclusive with more places for the continent, Ghana's coach said, with four African sides still in play in Qatar. Of Africa's five qualifiers for the 2022 tournament, Senegal and Morocco have reached the last 16, Ghana can advance with a win in their final group match against Uruguay, while Cameroon still has a shot if they beat an already-qualified Brazil expected to rest their top players. Only Tunisia, who beat France 1-0 on Wednesday, have been eliminated so far. Speaking before…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

World cup 2022: Match facts on Ghana and Cameroon as they represent Africa in Qatar today

SPORT

JOEL OMOTO FOR BIRD STORY AGENCY THE focus shifts to Group G and H, where Ghana’s Black Stars will start their campaign against Portugal at the Lusail Stadium while Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions will take on Switzerland at the Al Janoub Stadium. Ghana World Cup pedigree: This is Ghana’s fourth World Cup after making their debut in 2006 and competing again at the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. Best performance: The Black Stars reached the quarter-final of the 2010 edition in South Africa. It ended heartbreakingly when Asamoah Gyan missed an extra-time penalty that could have seen them become the first African…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Qatar have point to prove against Senegal says coach Sanchez

SPORT

SHADY AMIR QATAR wants to prove they can compete at the highest level when they face Senegal, coach Felix Sanchez said on the eve of a clash that may thwart their World Cup hopes. The Asian champions are hoping to avoid becoming only the second hosts to be eliminated in the first round at the finals after South Africa in 2010. Qatar lost 2-0 to Ecuador in the opening game of the tournament after a disappointing performance, causing many fans to leave the stadium 20 minutes before the end. "Hopefully we can play freely and without pressure and be better…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Soccer Qatar’s Bedouin roots star in World Cup opening ceremony

SPORT

ANDREW MILLS QATAR'S Bedouin roots, embodied in a tent-shaped stadium, were on display as the country's emir opened the World Cup at a ceremony during which he kissed his father's hand and welcomed the world to soccer's biggest event, the first time it has been staged in the Middle East. "From Qatar, from the Arab world, I welcome everyone to the World Cup 2022," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said. "How lovely it is that people can put aside what divides them to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together." Then, fireworks exploded from the roof of Al Bayt stadium,…