Carlos Queiroz Sacked as Qatar Coach
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – AFC Asian Cup host and defending champion Qatar sacked its head coach Carlos Queiroz less than a year in to the role and six weeks ahead of the 2023 Asian Cup.
The experienced Portuguese coach and the Qatar Football Association (QFA) parted ways by “mutual agreement”, the QFA said in a statement on Wednesday.
The QFA has named Spanish coach Marquez Lopez as Queiroz’s successor. He is currently in charge of Qatari football club Al-Wakrah.
Qatar hired Queiroz in February as replacement for Spaniard Felix Sanchez, who led the national team to its maiden Asian Cup triumph in the UAE in 2019 and was in charge of the group-stage finish at the home FIFA World Cup last year.
Quieroz’s departure comes six weeks ahead of Qatar’s title defense at the Asian Cup 2023, which kicks off on January 12 when the host will take on Lebanon at Lusail Stadium, the venue of the 2022 World Cup final.
Middle Eastern teams Qatar and Lebanon are placed in group A along with Tajikistan and China in the Asian Cup, which runs from January 12 to February 10.