DOHA: After taking charge for the 68th time on Wednesday - an equalling record tally for a national team coach, Vicente Del Bosque admitted Spain ‘were pleasantly surprised’ with the sporting facilities in Qatar.
Speaking during a post-match press conference after Spain beat the South American champions Uruguay 3-1 in a thrilling friendly at Khalifa International Stadium, Del Bosque said: “We are impressed with what we saw in Qatar. We were pleasantly surprised with the condition of the facilities and technical staff, and that’s an important thing.”
Prior to Wednesday’s match, the Spanish squad visited Aspire Academy to see the state-of-the-art facilities in Doha.
The world and European champions also met some young Aspire Academy students during their tour, with former Spanish players Raul and Fernando Hierro also in attendance.
Spain, who many have hailed as the greatest national team ever due to their attractive playing style, the former Real Madrid and Besiktas coach also praised the groundsmen for a pitch which he described as ‘perfect’.
“When talking about the field conditions (on Wednesday), it was perfect,” said the Spaniard.
Del Bosque’s comments came just hours after German legend Karl-Heinze Rummenigge, President of the European Club Association (ECA), said the Khalifa International Stadium pitch was the best he has seen during his football career.
“After seeing the presentation yesterday (Tuesday), and what’s probably the best pitch I’ve ever seen in my life, the pitch on which the match between Spain and Uruguay will be held tonight (Wednesday),” said Rummenigge during a press conference at the ECA General Assembly in Doha on Wednesday afternoon.
The 1986 World Cup finalist added: “We’ve a very good feeling about the organisation and the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.” With just nine years to go until Qatar host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the high-profile match provided an opportunity for international football journalists to learn more about Qatar.
Journalists from as far as Kenya attended the match, which saw Cesc Febregas, Pedro Rodriguez (2) and Cristian Rodriguez on the scoresheet.
Before the match had started, one journalist, who covered the Euro 2008 championships for the Spanish Football Federation website said he is very much interested to move to Qatar, after being impressed with the sporting ambitious the tiny Gulf nation has.
After Wednesday’s spectacle, Qatar football officials will have been encouraged by Del Bosque’s and Rummenigge’s comments of the facilities in Doha and World Cup plans, which have been widely reported in Spain and media agencies across the world.
The Peninsula
