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Qatar likes chances to host 2022 World Cup
Source: Agencies |
July 28, 2010, Wednesday
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QATAR may be considered an outsider in the bidding to host the 2022 World Cup but the head of its bid committee feels the desert nation has a good chance to be chosen by FIFA in December.
"Our chances are good," Hassan Al-Thawadi told reporters at an Asian football forum in Singapore. "It will be a close call, but I do believe coming to Qatar and the Middle East in 2022 will be a new frontier for FIFA."
Qatar is bidding against the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia. It is aiming to become the first Middle Eastern country to host football's biggest tournament, but faces several hurdles, including its scorching summer heat and restrictive alcohol and dress policies.
Al-Thawadi said Qatar is developing "second-generation cooling technology" which will keep stadiums, training facilities and fan areas at about 27 Celsius (81 degrees), far cooler than the 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees) high that Qatar averages in June, July and August. Qatar also plans to allow alcohol consumption in fan zones and bathing suits to be worn at hotel pools.
"I don't see it as a cultural clash," Al-Thawadi said. "We accept other people's cultures."
Qatar plans to invest US$4 billion to build 12 stadiums which would all be within an hour of each other, allowing teams and fans to cut down on travel time and cost. It will host the 2011 Asian Cup and will unveil a new US$5 billion international airport next year that will be able to accommodate 50 million passengers a year.
Qatar, which has large reserves of oil and gas, has one of the world's highest gross domestic product per capita at US$81,692, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam, a Qatar citizen, told reporters he would vote for his country's 2022 bid. He warned that China's bid to host the 2026 World Cup could be in jeopardy if an Asian country were chosen for the 2022 tournament.
"If any of these countries succeed, there will be no chance for Asia to host in 2026," Hammam said. "So the ambition of China has to go a few years after."
A FIFA delegation is ending a three-day visit to Australia today to inspect stadiums and other facilities for the country's 2022 bid. At the end of the inspection tour, the delegation will submit a report to assist FIFA's 24 executive members select a host for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which will be announced by FIFA on Dec. 2 in Zurich.
The US is competing for 2018 tournament, though it appears likely one of four European bids - England, Russia, and the joint bids of Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium - will be chosen.
"Our chances are good," Hassan Al-Thawadi told reporters at an Asian football forum in Singapore. "It will be a close call, but I do believe coming to Qatar and the Middle East in 2022 will be a new frontier for FIFA."
Qatar is bidding against the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia. It is aiming to become the first Middle Eastern country to host football's biggest tournament, but faces several hurdles, including its scorching summer heat and restrictive alcohol and dress policies.
Al-Thawadi said Qatar is developing "second-generation cooling technology" which will keep stadiums, training facilities and fan areas at about 27 Celsius (81 degrees), far cooler than the 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees) high that Qatar averages in June, July and August. Qatar also plans to allow alcohol consumption in fan zones and bathing suits to be worn at hotel pools.
"I don't see it as a cultural clash," Al-Thawadi said. "We accept other people's cultures."
Qatar plans to invest US$4 billion to build 12 stadiums which would all be within an hour of each other, allowing teams and fans to cut down on travel time and cost. It will host the 2011 Asian Cup and will unveil a new US$5 billion international airport next year that will be able to accommodate 50 million passengers a year.
Qatar, which has large reserves of oil and gas, has one of the world's highest gross domestic product per capita at US$81,692, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam, a Qatar citizen, told reporters he would vote for his country's 2022 bid. He warned that China's bid to host the 2026 World Cup could be in jeopardy if an Asian country were chosen for the 2022 tournament.
"If any of these countries succeed, there will be no chance for Asia to host in 2026," Hammam said. "So the ambition of China has to go a few years after."
A FIFA delegation is ending a three-day visit to Australia today to inspect stadiums and other facilities for the country's 2022 bid. At the end of the inspection tour, the delegation will submit a report to assist FIFA's 24 executive members select a host for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which will be announced by FIFA on Dec. 2 in Zurich.
The US is competing for 2018 tournament, though it appears likely one of four European bids - England, Russia, and the joint bids of Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium - will be chosen.
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