Doha, August 09 (QNA) - The Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced, on Wednesday, the appointment of Portuguese Ilidio Vale as the new head coach for the Qatar U-23 team.

QFA confirmed that Vale signed the official contract to coach the team in the upcoming events, most notably the AFC U-23 Asian Cup which will be hosted by Doha between April 15 and May 3 of next year.

The Asian Cup holds great importance as it qualifies for competition in the Summer Olympics that will be held in Paris in 2024.

Vale is succeeding Bruno Miguel who is currently managing Al Sadd Club after QFA approved Al Sadd's request to appoint him.

Vale will lead Qatar's national team in the qualifying group for the AFC U-23. Qatar placed in Group B in the draw, which includes South Korea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan and the matches will be held in South Korea from 6 to 12 September.

Vale will also lead Qatar's U-23 team in the football tournament in the 2022 Asian Games starting on September 23 in China. The draw placed the Qatari team in Group D, which includes Japan and Palestine. (QNA)