Qatar coach to 'isolate' team from Gulf politics at Asian Cup

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez has vowed to "isolate" his players from politics at the Asian Cup, which is taking place in the United Arab Emirates during a diplomatic crisis between the countries.

The tournament represents the first visit by the Qatari national side to the UAE since the beginning of a row that has transformed the Gulf and left Doha cut off from its neighbouring former allies.

Since June 2017, the UAE and other regional powers have imposed a boycott on Qatar, accusing it of backing terrorism and being too close to Iran.

Two of the other nations who have enforced the boycott also have teams in the tournament, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Qatar denies the charges and says its neighbours are seeking regime change in Doha.

With the dispute now into its nineteenth month, the Asian Cup is the most high-profile sporting competition so far between the former allies turned bitter rivals.

And nothing is likely to be more highly-charged than the meeting between Saudi and Qatar in a Group E match in Abu Dhabi on January 17.

As if the on-pitch weight of expectation surrounding Qatar's young team ahead of hosting the 2022 World Cup was not enough, now they have to navigate a delicate off-field situation.

Sanchez though has vowed to concentrate solely on football.

"This [political situation] is something we've discussed with the players," he told AFP.

"They are very conscious and I am convinced that during the competition they will be able to maintain their focus on the sport and to isolate ourselves from the rest of it all."
"In the end this is football," he said. "We just control ourselves and play football."
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