- Success of the coach is a reflection of the hard work of all club members – technical, administrative and medical staff, players and fans.

- I thank Al Wakrah fans for always supporting us and we expect them to do the same next season. We’ll do everything in our capacity to make them happy again.

- The most important thing is to maintain the momentum and give off our best next season.

- We seek to double our efforts to prove our worth and continue in the best possible way.

Al Wakrah’s Marquez Lopez, who was adjudged the Best Coach in the Qatar Football Association Awards for the 2021-2022 season, is one coach who has distinguished himself and proved his worth in the QNB Stars League, as he guided The Blue Wave to a great level to achieve good results that saw them finish in the creditable third place.

In this interview, Marquez talks about his feeling on receiving the award, its influence on the team in the coming season and the message he conveys to the players, technical as well as administrative staff, and Al Wakrah fans.

Excerpts:

You won the Best Coach Award for the 2021-2022 season, how do you feel?

I’m very happy to have received the award. Success of the coach is a reflection of the hard work of all club members – technical, administrative and medical staff, players and fans. Therefore, I would like to congratulate them on this achievement.

Did you expect to win this award?

I don’t know. Al Sadd coach won the league championship with an unbeaten run, Al Duhail coach won the Amir Cup and second place in the league and Al Arabi coach won the QFA Cup and fourth place in the league. It’s a fact that our team didn’t get an advanced position in the league for a while. And this is an achievement for the team to progress in the standings ahead of big teams such as Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa. But the most important thing is to maintain the momentum and give off our best next season.

Who do you dedicate this achievement to?

To all the team members, the players who made extra efforts in all matches, the technical, administrative and medical staff, and the club’s management that made great efforts this season in terms of new contracts.

What’ll be the influence of this award on you the next season with the team?

We must redouble our efforts, not only the coach, but the players, technical, administrative as well as medical staff and the club’s management, in order to maintain what we’ve achieved. Of course, I don’t forget the important role of the Qatar Football Association and Qatar Stars League, and their help and assistance to all teams to raise the technical levels of the league and players.

What do you have to tell the players and technical as well as administrative staff of the team?

I thank everyone for the efforts made during the season, especially the players who spared no effort and implemented the instructions on the pitch. I thank the club’s management for always helping the team and I’m keen to put in extra efforts next season to continue in the best condition.

Will what Al Wakrah achieved be a motivation for more things? Or will it be additional pressure on you?

It’ll motivate us, but there’s no doubt that the pressure will be there. So, I’ll work on that with the team in order to achieve the best next season, God-willing.

Your expectations for the competition in the 2022-2023 season?

The competition will be very strong. No doubt, the teams will be fully prepared in advance for the next season, so we seek to double our efforts to prove our worth and continue in the best possible way.

A final word for Al Wakrah fans

Of course, I thank them for always supporting us and we expect them to come to the venues next season as well. We’ll do everything in our capacity to make them happy again.