•DOHA • These are heady times for the Qatar national football team.
On the back of winning their first Asian Cup last Friday, Felix Sanchez's men have risen 38 places to 55th in the latest Fifa world rankings released yesterday.
Not only are Qatar enjoying their highest position in 26 years, they are now ahead of Mohamed Salah's Egypt and Africa Cup of Nations champions Cameroon.
The team returned home to a rapturous welcome from tens of thousands of ecstatic fans, including Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who has reportedly rewarded the footballers handsomely for bringing joy to the people at a time of simmering political tension in the Gulf.
Qataris did not travel to the United Arab Emirates, which hosted the Cup, as the country is currently under a blockade led by its neighbours, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who have accused Doha of supporting terrorism - a charge it has denied.
According to an article published on Fox Sports Asia's website, which cited Iranian media reports and a now-deleted tweet by Iranian football writer Sina Saemian, Al Thani has lavished gifts on every player.
They reportedly included a London apartment, a £2 million (S$3.5 million) cash reward, a monthly salary for the rest of their lives, a Lexus car and a luncheon hosted at his royal residence.
While some have questioned the country's recent triumph, claiming it has come out of the blue, former Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez believes the Cup win was deserved as the Qatar Football Association (QFA) had kept the 2022 World Cup hosts "on the right track".
The former Spain midfielder, who now plies his trade in Qatar as Al Sadd's captain, told TV channel Al Kass Sport: "Now you see the results produced by the Qatari team. It is a great team now. I am proud to work with these young players.
"We must remember that the QFA has been preparing this team for years to win this title.
"The Aspire Academy project is the idea of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and the idea is now achieving great success. What Aspire has done is to prepare a platform for the emergence of players that we currently see on the pitch."
Thirteen out of Qatar's 22-strong Cup squad had links with Aspire, and Xavi has been frequently seen helping out at the academy when he is not tied up with his club commitments.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The competition replaced the AFC Challenge Cup, last played for in 2014. Six teams were eligible to compete after losing in the first round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification competition, and three teams were eligible to compete after losing in the play-off round two of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification competition.
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02/09/2019 Comments Off on Qatar's Asian Cup heroes rewarded with lavish gifts •DOHA • These are heady times for the Qatar national football team. On the back of winning their first Asian Cup last Friday, Felix Sanchez's men have risen 38 places to 55th in the latest Fifa world rankings released yesterday.
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