CANBERRA: Qatar squad under the watchful gaze of coach Djamel Belmadi hit the training pitch yesterday, less than a day after landing here for next month’s Asian Cup.
The Qatari squad undertook light fitness drills after their long chartered flight that lasted 13 hours from Doha to Canberra, a Qatar Football Association (QFA) official said yesterday.
“The players weren’t asked to undergo serious training keeping in mind the time difference between Qatar and Australia,” the QFA team official said.
Qatar are grouped with the UAE, Iran and Bahrain in Group C of the 16-team event that kicks off on January 9.
Al Anabi have never won the title.
In 2011 when the event was staged in Doha, Qatar reached the quarter-finals under coach Bruno Metsu.
Japan, are the defending champions having won the event four years defeating Australia.
Qatar boarded the chartered flight just hours after beating Estonia 3-0 in a friendly played at Lekhwiya Stadium on Saturday.
Qatar squad was received by Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Charge d’affaires at the Qatar Embassy in Australia.
Belmadi’s side will take on Oman tomorrow in one of two friendlies in Australia ahead of their first match on January 11.
On January 5, Qatar face New Zealand in their final friendly going into the Asian Cup.
Also yesterday, Qatar squad visited the world famous Sports Institute of Australia.
The 23-member squad was followed into the popular sports academy by team officials, a QFA official said.
The players later underwent gentle fitness drills ahead of their friendly against Oman.
Qatar and Oman will share the same training facility today ahead of their friendly.
Qatar have set up their base in Canberra, 10 days before the kickoff of the AFC Asian Cup 2015, in order to get use to the local conditions. “We will be based in Canberra and we are here 10 days before our first match as we want to get used to the conditions in Canberra,” Mansoor Al Ansari, Director of National Teams Committee of QFA said.
Canberra is the capital of Australia and has a population of more than 332,000 people.
It is located south-east of Australia, 300 kilometers south-west of Sydney and 650 km north-east of Melbourne.
Canberra will host seven matches of the 2015 Asian Cup matches.The Peninsula
