The hosts have left nothing to chance: No sooner did the UAE defeat Australia 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, as the authorities in Abu Dhabi promptly bought all the tickets for the semi-finals on Tuesday , The national sports federation then distributed the tickets free of charge to compatriots. Authorities, schools and universities are closing down so that as many people as possible can follow the game, which is kicked off at 18:00 local time.
The rulers in Abu Dhabi want to ensure that all of the 37,000 spectators at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday support the hosts. In their view, the game is the anticipated finale.
MAHMOUD KHALED / EPA-EFE / REX
Emirati football fans (in the quarter-final against Australia)
The reason: In the semi-final of Abu Dhabi, the UAE meet Qatar in the afternoon. For the Emirates it is about more than the entry into the final against Japan. The media lashes in as if there were 90 minutes of Gulf War ahead. Almost two years ago, the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai chose Qatar as their archenemy. Together with Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries, they broke off diplomatic relations with the ruling house in Doha and imposed a blockade against Qatar. Officially, Saudi Arabia and the UAE Qatar's Emir Tamim accuse the support of terrorist organizations and too close proximity to Iran. But in the background it is also about the political and economic supremacy on the Gulf.
National coach Sánchez Bas is the father of success
The power struggle also overshadows the Asian championship in the UAE. The hosts denied fans and officials from Qatar entry to the tournament. Nevertheless, the AFC Cup is already a success for the next World Cup hosts: For the first time, Qatar has made it among the top four teams in Asia. In impressive style: five wins, 12: 0 goals is the balance after three round matches, eighth and quarter-finals. On the way to the semi-finals, the team defeated, among others, the World Cup participants Saudi Arabia (2: 0) and South Korea (1: 0).
The success is above all the work of national coach Félix Sánchez Bas. The Spaniard had started his coaching career in early 20s in La Masia, the junior academy of FC Barcelona, and in 2006 moved to the Aspire Academy. This is the national sports academy in Doha, where talents from all over the world are sighted and promoted. In 2013, Sánchez Bas took over the Under-19 selection Qatar, which he led to victory at the Asian Cup a year later. Since 2017 he trains the national team.
AFP
Félix Sánchez Bas
Sánchez Bas bets on a solid defense, safe passing and quick switching. With this tactic Qatar won in November at World Cup participants Switzerland 1-0 - and fully deserves. Shortly thereafter, they reached a 2: 2 against Iceland.
And this with a team that consists almost entirely of native Qatari: With the exception of native Portuguese Ró-Ró, French-born Karim Boudiaf, native Iraqi Bassam Rawi and native Algerian Boualem Khoukhi all 23 players were born in the squad in Qatar , The days when the emirate tried to recruit Ailton or other seasoned professionals without a competitive match for their home country for the national team, are long gone.
A sports system like in the GDR
Instead, Qatar relies on the Aspire Academy. Since 2004, young athletes have been training under the best conditions there. Sport has become a matter of national importance in Qatar. Meanwhile, almost every schoolchild is spotted and tested for talents for specific sports. A system reminiscent of sports promotion in the GDR.
Almost all internationals have gone through the Aspire Academy. The core of the team around defender Rawi (21), midfielder Salem al-Hajri (22), striker Akram Afif (22) and seven goals so far the best striker in the tournament Almoez Ali (22) has been playing together for years, only at the Academy , then in the national junior teams, now in the national team. In just under four years, at the World Cup in their own country, the team should reach their zenith. The Asian Cup shows that the team is on the right track - no matter how the semi-finals go against the UAE.
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Almoez Ali
However, they can not hope for support from neutral spectators on Tuesday. Sympathy declarations for Qatar are forbidden by law in the UAE and will be punished with up to 15 years in prison. In the words of Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, "We vigorously oppose anyone who shows sympathy or any kind of bias for Qatar, be it in social media or in any written, visual or verbal form."