By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – Qatar’s Aspire academy, which has been attracting increasing publicity as one of the world’s most sophisticated sports facilities since the Gulf state won the right to stage the 2022 World Cup, has struck another coup by being chosen by Manchester United for a mid-season training camp this week.
English football has no official winter break and with much of the United Kingdom covered in snow, United have been quick to exploit Qatar’s clement climate by returning to the country where they held a similar camp in 2010.
Aspire Zone has already welcomed Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain and Shalke for training camps this month and Director General of Aspire Academy, Ivan Bravo, commented: “Aspire are delighted to warmly welcome such a big team at our premises. We thank the Manchester United management for choosing Qatar and Aspire for their camp. We will do our best to make their camp and visit to Aspire and Qatar a successful one.”
Explaining the choice of Qatar, and Aspire in particular, manager Sir Alex Ferguson, whose team will return for next weekend’s FA Cup tie with Fulham said: “We went to Aspire back in 2010 and the fantastic facilities, excellent weather conditions and hospitality from the Aspire management were a perfect combination. It will be an ideal place for us and we are looking forward to an excellent training camp that will see us up for the remainder of the season.”
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