DOHA: Officials attending the FIFA Executive Football Summit in Doha have said they are expecting a memorable edition of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Abdul Khaliq Masood, President of Iraq Football Association (IFA), said the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will ‘meet high standards’.
Masood said: “The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be ideal in everything. Qatar will meet all requirements - whether it is infrastructure, stadiums, transportation or hosting fans, it will be a World Cup that meets high standards.”
He added: “It will be a unique World Cup since the distances between two stadiums is very less. It just takes minutes to go from one venue to another. You can actually watch two matches in a day and I am sure we will see an exciting World Cup.”
Masood said AFC Presidential candidate, Saud Al Mohannadi has every right to compete for the top Asian post. He said Al Mohannadi can do a good job in projecting the image of Qatar so that his country has a voice in FIFA. Masood said Al Mohannadi has a likeable personality.
President of the Bhutanese Football Federation, Dasho Ugen Tshechup Dorji said he intends to support the candidature of Al Mohannadi for a seat on the FIFA Council.
“Qatar is the biggest supporter of the development of football in Asia. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be seen by future generations as a model edition of the World Cup,” he said. “It will be the best ever. I am sure of this,” he said.
Arslan Kyyasovich, Secretary General of Turkmenistan Football Association, expressed delight on visiting the Aspire Academy.
“Everything was in high quality. The welcome accorded to us in Qatar was warm. I have the same impression about Aspetar the Sports Medicine Hospital. We are carrying a positive image of Qatar with us. Hopefully we will have an understanding with QFA so that we could improve our bilateral relations further. We will look to have training camps here at your great facilities.
“I think the World Cup in Qatar will be unique, something that we may have not seen before,” he added.
Dr. Hassan Abu Gabal, Secretary-General of the Sudanese Football Federation, said: “I take this opportunity to congratulate the QFA President HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani on being re-elected for another four-year term. Mr Mansoor Al Ansari, the Secretary General of QFA, has expressed their willingness to work with us to develop the game in a cooperative manner. I am sure we could join hands and take the game forward in both countries”
Mariano Araneta, President of the Philippines FA, said: “The infrastructure here in Qatar is truly world-class. Plus Qatar has great experience of hosting top-class sports events. I take this opportunity to thank the QFA family for taking great efforts to have this gathering.”
