DOHA; The coach of the Qatari U-23 football team, Elideo Valle, said the goal of competing in the AFC U-23 Cup finals is to qualify for the football competition in the next Olympic Games (Paris 2024).
At a press conference ahead of the opening match against Indonesia, Valle said that the tournament is of great importance to all participating teams as it qualifies for the Olympics, and therefore the competition will not be easy for everyone in the various stages starting from the group stage.
The coach added that the Qatari team is now fully prepared for the tournament after entering a lengthy preparatory programme that began last August, during which the Qatari Football Association provided all the requirements for success.
He added that the Qatari team may not be the first nominee to win the title, but by being supported by two important factors -- the ground and the fans -- the team will spare no effort in the competition.
Qatar's winning of the AFC Asian Cup Doha 2023 will give the team a great morale boost to make a new achievement that confirms the golden era of Qatari football, said the coach ruling out that this would be a factor of pressure on the U-23 squad.
This is Qatar's fifth appearance in the tournament. In 2018 Qatar took third place.
The team will be required to earn three points against the tournament newcomers Indonesian, to enhance their chances of qualifying from a strong first group that features Australia and Jordan.