Doha: Algerian Djamel Belmadi was named coach of Qatar on Sunday, replacing Fahad Thani, who has been given charge of the Olympic squad.
The 37-year-old Belmadi, who guided Qatari club Lekhwiya to two national league titles in 2011 and 2012, said: “This is a great opportunity for me to take charge of a very talented squad.
“This is a responsibility that I have taken up after considerable thought. I did not go out looking for this job.”
Belmadi will have as his goals qualification for the 2018 World Cup and the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, with the first real test coming in the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia in November.
Qatar, coached by Thani, failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Belmadi, capped 20 times by Algeria, was born near Paris into an Algerian family and was a much-travelled midfieler during his player career, turning out for, among others, Olympique Marseille, Manchester City and Southampton.
