Black Stars coach Chris Hughton has attended a two-day post-FIFA World Cup 2022 Coaches Forum in Doha, Qatar.
The two-day event was organised so that the head coaches from the member associations who participated in last year’s tournament could exchange views on competition, refereeing and medical matters. Their feedback will also be used by FIFA to make further improvements to the tournament in the future.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino who opened the forum, expressed his honour at having so many national team coaches and technical directors together in the same room, said he recognised the role that coaches play, as well as the pressure and hopes they carry on their shoulders.
“From everyone in football, those who I definitely have a very, very high admiration for are yourselves because if there is anyone who understands pressure, who understands emotions, who understands the feelings that football generates, it is definitely all of you,” President Infantino said.
“You represent countries, you represent populations, and you represent all these emotions. We have seen the hopes, the joy, and the tears. At the end of the World Cup, at the end of four years leading to a World Cup, there is one world champion out of FIFA’s 211 countries.”
The FIFA President congratulated the coaches for a unique World Cup.
“In addition to my admiration, you have my gratitude on behalf of the entire FIFA team, all football fans in the world and all those who love the game,” he said, remembering that before the FIFA World Cup, FIFA had asked the teams to make people feel special.
He said the forum was also a chance for the coaches to talk about the next FIFA World Cup in 2026, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“We had the best FIFA World Cup ever in Qatar, but we always want to do better…. We are already organising the next World Cup which will be played in completely different conditions, (with) distances and travel.
” During the forum, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger presented the analysis of the tournament prepared by the FIFA Technical Study Group and FIFA Performance Analysis Team, providing many talking points for the assembled audience.
Ghana’s Chris Hughton who took over as Black Stars coach in February this year attended the two-day forum in Doha. Chris picked four points in two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola in March following a 1-0 win in Kumasi and a 1-1 draw in Luanda respectively.
