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Rafa Marquez vows 'committed, disciplined' Mexico team with 'strong sense of identity'
Mexico: The new manager of the Mexico national team Rafael Marquez said on Thursday that he seeks to instill discipline, deep sense of identity, commitment in the team he is hoping to build.
Marquez will take charge of the national team for the first time in friendlies against Colombia, Peru, the United States and Chile in late September and early October. All games will be played in the United States.
Rafael Marquez Alvarez, known as Rafa Marquez, speaks during his presentation as the new head coach of the Mexican men’s national team at the High-Performance Center (CAR) of the Mexican Football Federation in Mexico City, on September 10, 2026. (Photo by Yuri CORTEZ / AFP) fish-roadgame.com
"Establishing and strengthening the identity of this team, that is the goal - for everyone to identify with their national team," said Marquez, who replaced Javier Aguirre in July.
"I will look for players with willingness, who know they must put in their best effort to come to the national team, in the same way that Javier did. That is essential to generate more competition."
Marquez has never managed at senior professional level. He served as Aguirre's assistant for two years and previously managed Barcelona B-team.
The 47-year-old praised the work of Aguirre, who guided Mexico to four wins from its first four games at this year's FIFA World Cup before it fell to England in the round of 16.
"What we went through during the World Cup was important," he said. "I am very excited about this responsibility. I am extremely grateful to Javier because he opened the doors of his coaching staff for me."
He added "I won't be working from scratch. There is continuity and a solid base, I know the environment, and I have surrounded myself with experienced, highly capable people who have competed at a very high level."
Team Qatar wins LMGT3 at Silverstone, takes Championship lead
DOHA: Team Qatar by Iron Lynx secured a major victory in the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone, Round 5 of the 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS), taking first place in the LMGT3 category with the #62 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3.
The team, supported by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), claimed the victory with its Silverstone driver lineup of Qatar’s Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Ralf Aron, delivering a strong and consistent performance throughout the four-hour race.
The weekend had already started perfectly when Abdulla Al-Khelaifi secured pole position in the LMGT3 category on Saturday, setting a time of 2:00.011. This was Abdulla’s third LMGT3 pole position of the 2026 ELMS season.
Starting from the front of the LMGT3 field, Team Qatar maintained its strong pace throughout the race to secure its first ELMS victory of the 2026 season.
The result is particularly significant in the championship battle. Team Qatar entered the Silverstone race in third place in the LMGT3 standings with 47 points, just six points behind the championship leader.
Following the Silverstone victory and the additional championship point earned for pole position, Team Qatar moved to the top of the LMGT3 championship standings with 73 points, heading into the final round of the season.
With only one round remaining, Team Qatar by Iron Lynx is now a strong contender for the 2026 ELMS LMGT3 championship title.
The final round of the European Le Mans Series will take place at Portimão, Portugal, on 10 October 2026.
Ultimate Championship: Qatar's Samba enters 400m hurdles final in Budapest
Brazil’s Alison dos Santos celebrates after winning ahead of Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba and Germany’s Emil Agyekum in the men’s 400m hurdles semi-final heat 1 during the World Athletics Ultimate Championship at the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, yesterday. Samba qualified for the final after clocking 47.83 seconds to finish fourth.
Olympic champion Santos won the race in 47.25, ahead of USA’s former Olympic champion Rai Benjamin.
Samba's compatriot Bassem Hemeida, however, missed out on qualification after finishing fifth in the second semi-final, won by Norway’s world-record holder Karsten Warholm. The final takes place today.