Brazil v England match boosts Qatar World Cup bid

(WFI) Plans for a bid from Qatar for the 2020 Olympics are proceeding even though the primary goal is to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee tells Around The Rings, WFI’s sister publication.

Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani confirmed that Doha will be in the race for 2020, it’s second try after failing to make the shortlist for 2016.

The sheikh says the strategy is to keep things quiet while the battle to host World Cups in 2018 and 2022 is underway. That decision by FIFA is set for December 2010.

Al-Thani says he takes comfort from the decision to award Brazil the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. “I think that when the IOC chose Rio it opened a new gate. The area that is still missing an Olympics is the Middle East. Hopefully we can change that in 2020, but first we must focus on 2022,” said Al-Thani.

“2020 will be on our agenda. Rio has the World Cup and two years later will have the Olympics. Maybe we will do the same, but the other way round.”

Doha lost out for 2016 due in large part to plans to stage the Games in October, rather than the traditional July/August dates sought by the IOC. Al-Thani revealed that this time Qatar will accept the northern hemisphere mid-summer timing, arguing that technology and the changing world climate will come to the rescue.

“Ten years from now the weather will be different – we are already seeing the change. We can play at night in climate controlled stadia. At a recent event in our stadium a temperature no higher than 28 degrees centigrade was recorded,” claimed Al-Thani.

Qatar will showcase its national stadium to the world on Saturday when football giants England and Brazil clash in an international friendly.

Raising the profile of 2022 World Cup bid
Qatar 2022 leaders are planning an extensive program of activities for media visiting Doha to cover the Brazil v England match. Bid chiefs are using the build-up to the fixture to bolster the profile of the bid on the global stage.

Officials from the England 2018 World Cup bid committee will also be in attendance, in the hope of gaining some capital out of meetings with Asian Football Confederation officials, including president Mohamed bin Hammam, a member of the FIFA Executive Committee which decides the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010.

International journalists, including WFI’s European correspondent James Corbett, are being flown out to Doha to gain insights into the campaign to bring the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time.

Over the next three days, briefings with bid leaders are planned. Visits to football and sports venues, including the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, Al Gharaffa Stadium and Khalifa Stadium, venue for the Brazil v England clash, are also scheduled.

Ahead of kick-off on Saturday evening, there will be a visit to Al Sadd Stadium where a presentation of cooling technologies and future infrastructure takes place. The Qatar bid is keen to alleviate any concerns over heat being a issue in its 2022 World Cup campaign.

Commenting on Saturday’s match, Qatar 2022 bid CEO Hassan Al Thawadi said: “Qataris are passionate football fans and we are truly excited to have this opportunity to watch the English and Brazilian stars here on our home turf. There is sure to be a fantastic atmosphere at this hugely anticipated match.

Al Thawadi said the Qatari bid offered FIFA an historic opportunity to bring people from all around the world together in friendship and unity. “Fans from around the globe will be offered a once-in-a-lifetime football experience,” he said.

Qatar has organised a fan festival for visiting spectators, with English, Qatari and Brazilian ‘fan villages’ which open their doors at 3pm on Saturday. Special buses are being laid on to take spectators to the stadium from different locations around Doha on match day.

Written by Adrian Hill and Mark Bisson               

Your best source of news about the global football business is www.worldfootballinsider.com

To subscribe to World Football Insider
Click Here

(Copyright 1992 - 2010, all rights reserved. The information in this report may not be published, excerpted, or otherwise distributed in print or broadcast without the express prior consent of World Football Insider and Around the Rings, Inc.)