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 like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have imposed a boycott on Qatar, accusing it of backing terrorism and being too close to Iran.

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.