After my graduation from DTM in 2018, I have been doing freelance work in different football events. In 2019, I was assigned to the Gdynia venue as competitions coordinator in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland. With the lockdown due to COVID a few months after, I focused on different areas such as logistics, accounting, and finance. But then, in 2021, I received an email asking if I would be interested in applying for a position as a Team Liaison Officer (TLO) in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. To be fair, for a moment I thought it was spam, and I was close to deleting it; however, I decided to submit my information (what’s the worst that can happen, right?). After several stages in the process, I was told I was selected in the group of 32 people. A week before traveling for the official draw, I was informed I would have to take care of Argentina. To be honest, I was worried due to the high profile of the team, but after my first meeting with the team manager, all those worries faded away. During the events happening the week of the official draw, I had the opportunity to meet the coaches, staff, and board members from the Argentina football association who would be involved in the team operations in the World Cup.
Once the team arrived in Doha for the World Cup, everything moved from 0 to 100 in a second. From offloading the trucks with all the luggage and equipment to having every single member of the delegation settle down into the base camp. I think the first few days were the most challenging part as most of the staff members were getting to know each other; once we understood the way we all work, communication and operations ran smoothly. I believe that all the staff from the local organizing committee working directly with Team Argentina managed to fulfill with excellence the requirements and the challenges faced in an event of this magnitude. The team and I organized the departure for Argentina to go back to their country. After 2 months, 7 matches, multiple training sessions, and countless hours of planning, Team Argentina completed their goal and went back home with the most desired trophy in the sports world; they left as World Champions. I personally consider this experience very rewarding; every day was challenging but also a learning opportunity for myself and all the people involved in the operations. I can proudly say that I had the opportunity to successfully manage a world champion team.
By Alfonso Gomez (4th Batch)
