Stronger league could be Qatar World Cup legacy, says Spanish coach

DOHA: With brilliant games, superb goals and shock results, the Qatar World Cup has been one of the most entertaining, but Sunday's (Dec 18) end of the tournament marks a crossroads for the hosts as they ponder where to go from here.

Since being awarded the tournament in 2010 and thereby gaining a berth as hosts, Qatar's focus has been on creating a side worthy of appearing on the world stage. With that out of the way, the next stage in their football development kicks off.

"The objective is to develop the league, they want to raise up the level a little bit more, to be a transfer point between major and minor leagues," Qatar-based soccer coach Sergi Angulo Lerin told Reuters.

The 33-year-old Spaniard has previously worked in Sweden and France, running academies for La Liga club Espanyol and coaching local sides, and he moved to Qatar to take up a role as assistant coach and analyst at Al Shamal, who play in the top-flight Qatar Stars League.

"They have the money, they have the structure, they have everything, they can do it," Lerin said.

Having spent 18 months working there prior to the World Cup, Lerin says the Qatari team did not reach its potential at the tournament, despite 12 years of preparations during which no expense was spared.

He said coaches from across the 12-team domestic league shared information and analysed games to help the Qatari national side prepare for their World Cup group games against Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands, all of which they lost.

"The level of Qatar that we have seen in the World Cup is not the real level. When this project started they were 102 in the world (rankings), now they are 50 and they are champions of Asia, we can't forget that," he said.

"If they want to get to the World Cup in