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Doha, Qatar: Julen Lopetegui has defended Akram Afif following Qatar’s World Cup exit, insisting the national team’s biggest star remained one of Al Annabi’s most influential players despite finishing the tournament without a goal or an assist.
The Spanish coach rejected criticism of the 29-year-old after Qatar’s 3-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, arguing Afif’s contribution extended well beyond statistics.
“Every time he touched the ball he improved our attacking play,” Lopetegui said, adding that he would gladly welcome “two or three more players like him” in the squad.
Afif arrived in North America carrying the expectations of a nation. A two-time AFC Player of the Year, six-time QFA Best Player and the driving force behind Qatar’s back-to-back AFC Asian Cup triumphs, he was widely viewed as the player most capable of helping Al Annabi make an impact on football’s biggest stage.
The numbers, however, tell a mixed story. Across 239 minutes in North America, Afif managed just two shots and neither tested a goalkeeper. His Expected Goals figure stood at only 0.09, highlighting how rarely he received the ball in dangerous scoring areas. Just two of his 128 touches came inside the opposition penalty area, forcing him to drop deeper to help Qatar build attacks.
Yet his overall influence was greater than the score sheet suggests.
Afif completed 73 passes at an accuracy of 80.2 percent and created four chances, including one classified as a big chance. His Expected Assists figure of 0.34 reflected opportunities that teammates were unable to convert. One of Qatar’s best attacking moments against Bosnia originated from the forward’s vision and awareness, creating an opening that almost changed the course of the match.
His performances largely mirrored Qatar’s campaign. He showed flashes of quality in the draw against Switzerland, endured a difficult outing as Canada overwhelmed a depleted Qatari side and remained heavily involved against Bosnia despite limited support in the final third. For a player whose eight goals fired Qatar to the 2023 Asian Cup title and whose creativity was central to the country’s 2019 triumph, this was not the World Cup he had hoped for. Lopetegui, however, remains convinced Afif’s value to Al Annabi extends far beyond goals and assists.
Meanwhile, Lopetegui also questioned FIFA’s five-match suspension for Assim Madibo, calling the punishment excessive after the midfielder was sent off in Qatar’s 6-0 defeat to Canada for a challenge that left Ismael Kone with a broken leg.
“I did not want to speak about this before the match,” Lopetegui said. “But in my opinion, the punishment is exaggerated. I do not believe it was a red card. It was an unfortunate situation, but not worthy of a sending off.”
Madibo was initially shown a yellow card before referee Cristian Garay upgraded it to red following VAR intervention. FIFA later extended the suspension to five matches for serious foul play. Kone suffered fractures to his tibia and fibula and underwent surgery, while Madibo later apologised and visited him in hospital alongside Qatar officials.
