Qatar Football Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Thani (centre) looks on as Qatar’s new coach Djamel Belmadi (left) and outgoing-coach Fahad Thani shake hands after a press conference yesterday. PICTURE: Jayaram
By Anil John /Sports EditorDjamel Belmadi, the man who guided Lekhwiya to two consecutive Qatar Stars League titles (2011 and 2012) before being sidelined in favour of Belgian Eric Gerets, has been appointed coach of the national football team.Algerian Belmadi, who was born in France and played for clubs such as Marseille, Manchester City and Southampton, will take over from Fahad Thani who has been put in charge of the under-23 side.Thani had taken over as coach of the national team on an “interim basis” after Brazilian Paulo Autuori was sacked following Qatar’s lacklustre show at the 2013 Gulf Cup. “Fahad Thani took charge of the side when Qatar football was going through a critical period, the team having fallen short of expectations in the Gulf Cup under Autuori. He did a good job and helped the team qualify for the Asian Cup in 2015. But we failed to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil and we now need to look ahead,” Qatar Football Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Thani told journalists at a press conference yesterday.During Thani’s tenure speculation was rife that Qatar were looking for a “big name” coach, with even Pep Guardiola’s name being bandied about at one stage. However, Qatar eventually decided on Belmadi because of his close association with Qatar football by virtue of being a two-time league-winning coach and his understanding of local culture and traditions.“It’s not a question of big names. Big name coaches often don’t succeed in the region because players find it difficult to adjust to their methods. We need to understand the mentality of the players. Also, culturally, big name coaches find it difficult to adjust to a new environment which makes Belmadi a fine candidate for the job,” said Sheikh Hamad.Belmadi was given temporary charge of the Qatar team during last December’s West Asian Championship in Doha, and the Algerian came through the trial by fire by guiding the team to the title. The tenure of his contract was not revealed, however, but his immediate task will be to put in place a plan for the team ahead of this September’s Asian Games in South Korea and the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia in November. After those tournaments comes the prestigious Asian Cup in January next year.“I am proud to be named the new coach of the Qatar team,” Belmadi said. “I thank Sheikh Hamad and the Qatar Football Association for having confidence in me and I will try my best to achieve the targets set out for me,” he added.The former Algeria international said he will shortly announce his plans for the team in preparation for the Asian Games and the Gulf Cup.“We plan a summer camp and some friendly games for the team. Obviously it’s going to be a busy year and we need to be at our best to do well in the Asian Games and the Gulf Cup.”Belmadi said he agreed to take up the job after thinking long and hard. “I was not looking for a job. I gave it a long thought before deciding to accept the offer. I know the responsibility I have. I will not try to change things too fast.”Sheikh Hamad also stressed on the importance of developing the under-23 team with an eye on qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.“When it comes to the under-23 team, our aim is to qualify for the Olympics in Brazil in 2016 and Fahad has been tasked with that job,” said Sheikh Hamad.Thani expressed his disappointment that he couldn’t guide the national team to the World Cup in Brazil. “I regret the fact we didn’t qualify for Brazil, but we did make the Asian Cup and I congratulate the team for that. I thank everybody for all the support I received when I was the interim coach of the team.”Qatar’s coaches since 2004June 2003 – July 2004: Philippe TroussierJuly 2004 – Aug 2004: Saeed al-MisnadAug 2004 – July 2007: Džemaludin MušovicAug 2007 – Sept 2008: Jorge FossatiSept 2008 – Feb 2011: Bruno MetsuFeb 2011 – Aug 2011: Milovan RajevacAug 2011 – Dec 2011: Sebastião LazaroniFeb 2012 – Jan 2013: Paulo AutuoriJan 2013 – March 2014: Fahad ThaniMar 16, 2014 onwards: Djamel Belmadi