Olabe: Qatari architect

The level shown by Qatar in its World Cup will be measured in Group A by the Netherlands, Ecuador and Senegal. The evolution of his football conditions will be closely monitored by Real’s top sports manager. Roberto Olabe (Gasteiz, 55 years old) oversees the start of the young candidates to become international with his team in the World Cup that opens tomorrow. Ten years ago, the Asian country’s Aspire Academy signed him as Director of Soccer. A project that “was born before FIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar”, recalled Olabe in statements to Euskal Telebista.

Olabe is the architect of a development program dedicated to training footballers with a view to this World Cup. “They have a culture of the event, they have to consider if they will be able to compete”, will develop the native of Gasteiz.

Olabe explained that his time in Qatar marks a marked construction phase. It’s about creating a profile of a “player we think will make it” in the tournament that starts on Sunday. “More than change – he’s qualified – it’s to change the emotions and motivations of the men there.”

Respect for human rights

Olabe himself saw that Qatar is “a country with more talent than habits, behavior and sporting behavior” in the football section. For this reason, he raised as a priority “offering competitive stimuli, so that they feel why they will not be able to compete against Brazil, Germany, Spain…” after a decade, that is, now.

The World Cup in Qatar has generated a lot of controversy. It is inconceivable that an event of this magnitude would be held in a place with retrograde traditions, with a class system that condones gender inequality. Olabe’s contribution can be summed up as “it is necessary to ask that this event help Qatar reach the necessary level regarding respect for human rights,” said Real’s sports director.