Brazilian Autuori named new Qatar Olympic coach

Paulo Autuori will have the mammoth task of overseeing Qatar's bid to qualify for next year's London Games after the Brazilian was named the coach of the country's Olympic football team.

Paulo Autuori will have the mammoth task of overseeing Qatar's bid to qualify for next year's London Games after the Brazilian was named the coach of the country's Olympic football team.

The 55-year-old coach, who had initially turned down the offer, has been in charge of Qatari side Al-Rayyan, helping them to Emir's Cup victories in 2010 and 2011, the Asian Football Confederation said on its website (www.the-afc.com).

Autuori will have little time to settle in his new job as Qatar face a tough challenge next month when they meet Saudi Arabia, Korea Republic and Oman in Group A of the Asian qualifiers for the London Olympics.

The team, however, will bank on the vast experience of their new coach who guided Cruzeiro and Sao Paulo to Copa Libertadores titles and also managed top Brazil clubs including Santos, Flamengo and Botafogo.