Qatar coach Lopetegui: Postponing the Asian Cup was not in the interest of any team

Julen Lopetegui, coach of the Qatari national team, confirmed his team's readiness to play the two friendly matches against Australia and South Korea, on November 13 and 17.

The Spanish coach pointed out that the two matches represent an important technical test to determine the levels of the players and their readiness for the upcoming matches.

Lopetegui said, in press statements on Thursday, that the Qatari national team prepared well for the two confrontations, despite the difficulty of the test against two teams that possess great technical capabilities and extensive experience at the international and continental levels.

He added: “We are ready to face Australia and South Korea, and we are well aware of the strength of the two teams. They are among the big teams that have high technical capabilities, which gives us an important opportunity to test our readiness and determine the level of the players.”

Lopetegui touched on the decision to postpone the Asian Nations Cup finals for a year, stressing that changing the tournament date affected the preparatory plans and programs drawn up by the technical staff of the participating teams.

A national team coach explained: “We were working and preparing to compete in the Asian Nations Cup, but the decision to postpone the tournament prevented the continuation of the preparatory program according to the previous date, and I believe that postponing the competition was not in the interest of any team, after all the teams had set their programs and plans to prepare for this continental competition.”

Lopetegui pointed out that the technical staff seeks to take advantage of the current international break to try out a number of players and evaluate their levels, in addition to working to enhance harmony between the various lines of the team and develop the technical and tactical aspects.

Lopetegui stressed that facing strong teams the size of Australia and South Korea provides an important opportunity to test the Qatari team's ability to deal with different playing styles, and to identify aspects that need more work during the next stage.

The Qatari national team will play the two matches as part of a new phase of preparations following its participation in the 2026 World Cup finals, as the technical staff looks forward to rearranging the team’s cards and raising its level of readiness for the upcoming continental and international competitions.

Hussein Labib, President of the Egyptian Zamalek Club, confirmed that the steps to develop the football company do not aim to sell the club or the football activity, stressing that the Board of Directors is studying the file in the interest of the club.

Labib said in statements to the Egyptian On Sport channel on Wednesday evening that the football company was established last year, adding that the development of the work system includes two stages, the first of which began with assigning the management of the activity to a sports director in the presence of John Edward, and the second included separating the football activity from the club.

He explained that the presence of a single offer during previous discussions prompted the Council to wait and conduct further study, stressing the necessity of evaluating football activity before making any decision.

Labib denied the validity of what was said about his rejection of an offer from Edward because of granting him control of the company, indicating that the matter was related to the need for a broader study.

The president of Zamalek praised Edward's role in crowning the team with the league title, describing winning the championship as a miraculous achievement in light of the difficult circumstances the club faced.

Hussein Labib stressed that the Board of Directors respects the fans’ criticism and their right to express their opinion, stressing that the administration studies the constructive comments and relies on them to make decisions that serve Zamalek.