WORLD Cup football teams have arrived in Marbella to train for the huge tournament at the Costa del Sol town's top-class facilities.
Denmark's and Switzerland's national sides have been working on their technique at Marbella Football Centre (MFC), and sports councillor Manuel Cardeña says he hopes other nations will follow suit ahead of Qatar 2022.
Teams which have already trained at MFC ahead of huge tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Euros and the Champions' League include Qatar's national side, and Liverpool FC (photo from MarbellaFootballCenter.com)
Presenting 'National Team Week' along with MFC manager Andrés Roldán, Cardeña explained how Marbella is currently promoting itself as 'the best destination to train for Qatar', and that both Denmark and Switzerland plan to play two pre-season matches at the Málaga-province venue.
A country team would not normally travel overseas for these, Cardeña says, but they have taken advantage of their stay in Andalucía training for the World Cup to do so.
“MFC has become, over time, a key training destination for top football teams ahead of major matches,” Cardeña reveals.
Liverpool FC also did so to get ready for the Champions' League, when it played in two finals.
“This isn't the first time Denmark has been here – and it's a huge national team, having won eight of the nine matches in the qualifying rounds, meaning they've well and truly sealed their entry to the World Cup through the front door.
“Qatar's own national team was here in October, until early November, training for the Arab Cup, and they're planning on coming back to train at MFC in June and again October this year.
“In total, that'll be 20 days at MFC – a long and very full-scale preparation for the World Cup.”
When the draw for World Cup groups takes place in Doha, Roldán will be travelling there 'just as we normally do with FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euros draws', in order to network with national team managers to convince them to travel to Marbella for training.
“We find that those teams which come to us to train at MFC tend to keep coming back,” he explains.
SPAIN'S last-minute win against England in the 2024 UEFA Euros comes on the 60th anniversary of the country's first-ever title in the much-followed competition – and has broken numerous records, too.
A HOLLYWOOD legend joining folk-dancers from Asturias and showing off her fancy footwork in the street is not a scene your average Oviedo resident witnesses during his or her weekly shop. Even though their northern...
