Qatari players during a training session in Rio De Janeiro on Tuesday.
National team striker Ali Afif yesterday said Qatar featuring at Copa America will help the young squad get long-term benefits.
Asian champions Qatar are set to feature at next month’s Copa America. It will be Qatar’s maiden appearance at the 12-team tournament that has huge following across the football world.
Coached by Felix Sanchez, Qatar arrived in Brazil on Monday following a short stay in Texas, United States.
Qatar are set to play matches against Argentina, Columbia and Paraguay.
“It is a very important event for all the players, especially for the younger ones. This will give us a very good experience as we prepare for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” Afif, who plays for Al Duhail, said in an interview during team training session yesterday.
“We are competing against South American football giants. It is a different school of football and we have never played against them before,” Afif added.
“We will certainly strive to give honourable performance. We will go for the best results and confirm our status as Asian champions. We have not come here just to play. We want to win and succeed in the matches we play,” he added.
“I know that every player wishes to do well for Qatar in this tournament. This will be our first appearance in Copa America tournament and we want to do really well,” he said.
Afif’s team-mate Abdulaziz Al Ansari said he was looking forward to making the playing XI.
“I will do everything in my power to get the opportunity to play well,” Qatar striker Al Ansari said.
“This is one of the toughest tournaments anywhere in the world. All the Latin American teams will be there. I think our group - that has Argentina, Columbia and Paraguay - doesn’t need any deep evaluation. It is a tough group with quality sides,” he added.
“Despite the difficulty of this group, we have a lot of optimism to achieve positive results, to make strong performances. We have confidence in our capabilities and potential to do well. Our presence in a strong group is in our favour because it will bring us the best out of us and we will gain more experience at the same time,” he added.
Qatar have camped at Porto Belo, a coastal town just not too far away from Rio de Janeiro.
Coach Sanchez is currently helping the squad prepare for an international friendly against hosts and five-time World Cup winners Brazil at the famous Maracana Stadium.
According to team officials, players are adjusting quickly to the six-hour time different between Qatar and Brazil.
After the Brazil clash, Qatar are scheduled to play a friendly against a local club on June 9 before the coach trims the squad of 28 players to 23 for Copa America set to be held between June 15 to July 9.
The entire squad has had a few training sessions that has centred around physical drills on the pitch.
