Contract terminated by mutual agreement 10 months after taking office last February

Director Carlos Queiroz

Qatar national football team coach Carlos Queiroz (70, Portugal), who had a bad relationship with Korea with the 'fist and potato ceremony', laid down the baton about a month before the opening of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Qatar Football Association announced on the 7th (Korean time), "We have decided to terminate the contract with Coach Queiroz by mutual agreement. We are grateful for the dedication and guidance that Coach Queiroz has shown during his tenure. We wish him good luck in the future."

As a result, Coach Queiroz, who took over as head coach of Qatar last February, left with a disappointing record of 4 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses (18 goals, 16 conceded) in 11 international matches over 10 months.

With about a month left until the opening of the Asian Cup (January 12 to February 10, 2014), the Qatar Football Association made a strong decision to replace the head coach of the national team, the 'defending champion'.

In addition, along with the announcement of Coach Queiroz's dismissal, Spanish coach Marques Lopez (61) was quickly appointed as the new head coach.

Coach Lopes has led the Qatar professional soccer Stars League Al Wakrah since January 2018 after leading teams such as Espanyol (Spain) and Sint-T-Truidan (Belgium).

Director Carlos Queiroz's 'Fist Potato' provocation

The reason for Coach Queiroz's dismissal is interpreted as poor performance.

Coach Queiroz, who enjoyed a 2-1 win against Jamaica in his debut game last June, showed disappointing performance with only 1 win, 3 draws, and 4 losses in the next 8 games.

They defeated Afghanistan (8-1 win) and India (3-0 win) in the second qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, which started last month, but lost the trust of the Qatar Football Association and experienced the pain of being sacked.

Coach Queiroz was criticized by Korean fans for his unsportsmanlike behavior of throwing a fist at the Korean bench during the 2014 Brazil World Cup Asian final qualifying match held in Ulsan in June 2013. 슬롯