Mauricio Pochettino has faced criticism for travelling to Qatar to present a coaching masterclass at the Aspire Fellows Summit in Doha but he was not the only representative from a Premier League club in attendance at the event.
The Tottenham Hotspur manager and his assistant Jesus Perez delivered a seminar on Monday which focused on the importance of keeping control of players' emotions, while also touching on his team's recent struggles and lack of confidence.
However, Pochettino's comments praising the Qatar FA and the Aspire academy, amid long-held concerns surrounding the deaths of migrant workers and the awarding of the 2022 World Cup, have led to questions over his decision to attend.
"Whenever we come here to Qatar and Aspire, we are encouraged and struck by the vision, planning, and passion this country shows for sports development," Pochettino told his audience in Doha.
He is not alone among key figures from English football at the three-day event though. Several other Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United sent representatives to the conference.
They have been joined by key figures from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and a number of other European giants, alongside figures from the FA and Welsh FA.
Managers invited to previous events as guest speakers have included Thomas Tuchel, the Paris Saint-Germain head coach, and Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson, while Samuel Eto'o, Hernan Crespo and Tim Cahill are among the other highlight speakers this week.
This is the fifth edition of the summit but the first to be hosted in Doha. The conference has visited Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and London, with Chelsea's Stamford Bridge the venue in 2017.
The treatment of migrant workers has been a concern since Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup in 2010, with an unprecedented number of deaths reportedly stretching into at least four figures, according to the International Trade Union Confederation.
Qatar's reach extends far across European football. The billionaire Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who has close links to the Emir and was charged with corruption in France earlier this year, runs PSG and the media group bein, which holds the regional rights for all for Europe's major leagues.
Tottenham had been aware of the invitation for some time and were happy for the manager and his assistant to go. The pair will return to the club on Thursday with Toni Jimenez and Miguel D'Agostino taking training at Hotspur Way for the players who are not on international duty.
Spurs have further links with the country, having signed an agreement with the renowned sports medicine hospital Aspetar in 2016. Pochettino visited the hospital, which is located on the Aspire campus, when that deal was announced and spoke of how impressed he was by the facilities.
“I have heard a lot about Aspetar and have always wanted to visit," he said at the time. "What I’ve seen has been truly amazing. There are many things here that we can learn from and we look forward to enhancing our cooperation with the hospital.”
A number of Tottenham players have visited the hospital for injury treatment including Harry Winks and former midfield Mousa Dembele. An Aspire source told football.london that Pochettino's invitation to address the Aspire summit was unconnected to that relationship.
