DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar appointed former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui as the national coach on Thursday.
Lopetegui, 58, has signed a contract until the 2027 Asian Cup, where Qatar will go for a third consecutive title. His first game in charge is on June 5 at home to Iran, and then in Uzbekistan five days later.
“Ready for a new chapter. Welcome Lopetegui,” the Qatar Football Association wrote on social media. “We're excited to embark on this journey together.”
Lopetegui replaces fellow Spaniard Luis Garcia, who took the job only last December and whose departure was also announced on Thursday.
“The QFA extends its deepest appreciation to Mr Garcia for his professionalism and dedication throughout his time with the team,” the QFA wrote on social media.
After poor results in World Cup qualifying, Qatar is fourth in Asia Group A and already out of the running to finish in the top two spots that guarantee a place at the 2026 tournament. But there is still a chance for the 2022 host to qualify for the first time through a playoff route.
Lopetegui’s last two jobs were in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham, where he was fired in January.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - West Ham's manager Julen Lopetegui looks on before the start of the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Liverpool at the London Stadium in London, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — Henrik Kristoffersen led a Norwegian 1-2 from Atle Lie McGrath in the first run of a World Cup slalom Sunday in an Olympic season that is tough to predict.
Kristoffersen, the bronze medalist in slalom at the 2014 Olympics, would be the sixth different winner in six races this season if he protects his lead in the afternoon run.
He was 0.28 seconds ahead of United States-born McGrath with breakout Finland prospect Eduard Hallberg a further one-hundredth back.
Most highest-ranked skiers got the advantage of starting in the first sunshine of the weekend at Adelboden on a minus-5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) day. However, the light tends to fade fast when the leaders race for a second time around 2 p.m.
Racers placed around 10th, within 0.70 of Kristoffersen, should be well positioned to attack in the second run.
World champion Loïc Meillard was 0.38 back in fifth, one spot ahead of Olympic champion Clément Noël, who won Wednesday in Italy at Madonna di Campiglio.
World Cup slalom standings leader Timon Haugan failed to finish by straddling a gate on the steep final section, with Noël poised to take advantage.
Another packed finish-area crowd at Adelboden observed a minute’s silence before racing for the victims of the fatal fire in a bar in nearby Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day. Crans-Montana hosts men’s and women’s World Cup races in three weeks.
At the Milan Cortina Olympics, the men's slalom is Feb. 16 at Bormio.
AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Finland's Eduard Hallberg speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)
Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen ahead of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
