Qatar starts preparation for U-22 qualifiers

Qatar coach Alain Perrin has called up 30 players for the training in line with the preparation for the AFC U-22 Championship 2013 qualification starting later this month. Qatar has been pitted in Group C which also features Bahrain, Iran, Tajikistan, Kuwait and Maldives as the matches will be played in Maleka, Malaysia. The West Asian country will take on the Maldives on June 23 as top two teams will progress directly to the finals to be played in January 2014. Former Lyon coach Perrin has been at the helm of Qatar U-23 team after Brazilian Paulo Autouri was promoted to take charge of the Qatar national team who will host Korea Republic on Friday in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. The U-22 squad also played a friendly match against Olympics-bound UAE side on Tuesday which Perrin's side lost 1-0. The U-22 competition will replace the Olympic Football Tournament Asian Qualifiers and as the second biggest national team competition after AFC Asian Cup, it is expected to attract a lot of attention from sponsors, fans, media and increase the overall value of AFC Competitions.(QNA)