By Onochie Anibeze

In the football industry, Qatar lack one thing: World Class players.

This is not uncommon in the Middle East.

And one of the things Qatar hope the 2022 World Cup will inject  not only into their country but also the entire Middle East is a rich football culture. That way, world football governing body would have also achieved their aim of spreading and developing the game in all parts of the world. And that’s why their project of taking the World Cup to all parts of the world is a lofty and worthy venture.

With the Aspire Academy, one of the best in the world, the country has taken a huge step towards youth development. That will help in developing the football culture that will eventually produce good players in the future.

Didier Drogba in Aspetar

Sports marketing is another area that has seen them host many events from track and field to golf, tennis, motor racing etc. With so much ease they hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup, within a short notice. Nigeria were billed to host the event in 1995 but with the outbreak of Cholera in Nigeria, Fifa took the event to Qatar and they made a huge success of it.

Qatar boast of good football facilities but with the 2022 World Cup going there, more than ten new stadia will be built.

And what with sports medicine? It is even in this area that they have won many hearts and ironically, the country that cannot boast of world class players is attracting world class players who fly into Doha, the capital to use Aspetar, reputed to be one of the best sports medicine hospitals in the world.

One of the sectors enjoying massive support from the Qatari government is the health industry. Qatar have even upgraded Aspetar because of the link between sports medicine and the World Cup. Qatar  have  uplifted the facilities at Aspetar, to enable it meet the demands of the present and future.

It is on record that about 20 players from nine national teams who featured at the last World Cup in Brazil, received treatment at Aspetar.

The list of the stars include Brazilian striker Hulk,  who underwent intensive tests during a training camp at Aspire Zone with Zenit St. Petersburg earlier this year, French star Blaise Matuidi, who received treatment at Aspetar during winter camp training with his club Paris St. Germain last year and Bacary Sagna, who undertook a rehabilitation programme after a knee surgical operation in June 2012.

Algeria’s captain Madjid Bougherra, Pejman Muntazeri of Iran and Australia’s Mark Bresciano have all benefited from Aspetar’s proven expertise..

Tim Cahill, who scored Australia’s only goal in the World Cup match against Chile,  has also visited Aspetar twice to receive treatment.

Russian striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov has also enjoyed the world-class treatment  at Aspetar, while Belgian defender Daniel van Buyten underwent x-rays for an injury he suffered at Qatar’s leading hospital.

Manchester City midfield powerhouse, Yaya Toure also received treatment over a three-week period at Aspetar and stated afterward that  “this is the first time I have ever seen a hospital like this. Even in Europe they don’t have anything similar”.

Compatriots Sol Bamba, Mathis Bolly and Didier Drogba  also visited the facility to receive treatment on injuries they suffered while playing football for their clubs and countries.

Footballers cannot run away from injuries. They are associated risks of the game but it is crucial for them to get the best treatment to recover quickly and return to the trenches.

Yaya Toure in Aspetar

During his last visit to Aspetar for treatment, Drogba, who was highly impressed with what he saw and the treatment he received, commended Qatar for investing in the wholly sports medicine  facility

When asked to compare the health facilities at his various clubs  and Aspetar, and  if  they helped players recover quickly from injury, Drogba said “they can be better than what you have at the club. Here at Aspetar you can work 6 or 7 hours a day one to one.

“You can spend 1 or 2 hours with the physio if you need to. In your team there are 24 players and maybe three or four physios and if they each have to see two or three players you might have to wait a day. When a game is two days away you don’t have time for that”.

Speaking on the importance of a club doctor and medical team and what sort of relationship he has with them, Drogba said “the club doctor and the medical team are very important because they are the ones who give you confidence and the best people to explain exactly what your injury problems are. They help players to know their bodies better.

“It’s a trust and confidence thing with them. They have to know when you are tired and when they spend a lot of time with you, they can recognise when you need to stop training and when you can carry on. They can also advise you on how to prevent injuries”.

On how often he sees his medical staff, the former African player of the year said “the more you stay away from the medical room the better, it means that you are healthy. “But sometimes you need to go, and not always just for injuries, sometimes because you are not feeling well and you just want to talk to them. I would say if I’m fit, with no problems, the only reason I have to go there is to say ‘good morning Doc, how are you?’

On the sacrifices he has made to get to the top of the game,the UEFA Champions League winner with Chelsea said  “I don’t see them as sacrifices because it is my passion, so it is certainly not a sacrifice. Sacrifice is for people like my parents or some of my friends back home who went to work in factories to earn money to support their children and their families. It is more searching for what I can do to help me become the best I can be, whether that’s training, work in the gym or learning how to focus more. But to me, there is no sacrifice in football”.

Asked if he has a nutrition regime he follows, Drogba said “normally I don’t. But during my time at Aspetar I have been. Normally I play every three days, so I don’t have to watch what I eat so much. Of course, I’m not eating like crazy, but I eat normal things like pasta, rice and chicken.