QFA
Ildio Vale was named the new Qatar U23 head coach on Wednesday after signing a contract with Mansoor Al Ansari, General Secretary of the Qatar Football Association (QFA), at Al Bidaa Tower.
Vale’s primary objective will be to lead hosts Qatar in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, which will take place from April 15 to May 3, 2024.
His first assignment, though, will be to lead his squad in the qualifying group. Group B will see 2020 winners Korea Republic, Myanmar, Kyrgyz Republic, and Vietnam alongside Qatar from September 4 to 12 later this year.
Qatar will play in the Qualifiers for exposure, with their matches classified as inconsequential friendlies.
Al Annabi will also compete in the football tournament of the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, in which they were grouped alongside Japan and Palestine.
The Asian Games football tournament will begin on September 19, just before the Games’ official start on September 23. On October 7, the second-to-last day of the games, the final match will take place.
A vastly experienced coach, Vale, won a total of 27 titles with junior squads at Portuguese giants F.C Porto. He also served as assistant coach of the main squad. He also managed FC Porto B, the reserve team of Porto, between 2000 and 2004.
In 2006, he joined the Portuguese Football Federation, where he played a key role with numerous national during one of the Iberian nation’s most successful eras.