Win-win case for Qatar and FIFA Wednesday, 14 July 2010 01:59

The month-long celebration of the beautiful game that kept millions around the world glued to the TV is over. While South Africa basks in the glory of successfully hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the winners and losers are back in their homes with their Cup and pots of cash, we in Qatar are looking forward to, and preparing ourselves for, the FIFA Inspection Team’s visit in September to assess the country’s bid to host the World Cup in 2022.

This is a challenge everyone living in Qatar must face together. I am sure both  citizens and members of the vibrant expatriate community will put their best foot forward. I vividly recall the 2006 Asian Games. On that wonderful occasion, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani put up a courageous show, riding to the top of the lighting ramp while it was drizzling, and lit the torch to mark the start of the Asian Games. All spectators, Qatari youth in particular, were thrilled by that magnificent show.

The same spirit and courage inspires Qatar’s hopes for holding the 2022 FIFA World Cup on its shores.

If Qatar gets the opportunity to host the World Cup in 2022, it will be a win-win situation not only for Qatar and FIFA, but also for football lovers the world over.

For FIFA, it will open an untapped market which has long been neglected. The Middle East is an area with a high youth population. This will give FIFA an opportunity to tap the new generation of football fans.

And if South Africa has been a stunning success story, Qatar’s is an even bigger promise — given its riches and access to the very best resources and existing assets, from the Al Jazeera Network and Qatar Airways to the world famous Harrods department store, to both promote and hold the event.

Critics point to Qatar’s hot climate as unsuitable for the tournament. But the World Cup is not only for countries that enjoy cold weather or have four seasons. That’s why, I think, it’s called a World Cup.  

As I recall, the 1986 World Cup held in Mexico also had temperatures that hovered in mid-30’s to 40’s, coupled with high altitude and an earthquake a year before the World Cup started. But that didn’t stop them and they went on to host the Cup.

It will be nothing short of blatant discrimination if countries with a hot climate are denied the chance to host the World Cup just because of high temperature.

Besides, Qatar has already come up with an elaborate plan to deal with the heat. If it gets to host the World Cup, Qatar will use cutting edge technology to build air-conditioned stadiums that will revolutionize world football for ever. Then there are also those who say Qatar doesn’t need the World Cup to boost its economy since it already has one of the highest GDPs in the world. But it is not the monetary gains that Qatar is looking to.

Hosting the World Cup will help the country’s unflinching efforts at bridging the Islamic world-west divide.

Giving Qatar the chance to host the 2022 World Cup would demonstrate what the World Cup is essentially all about – no matter what race, color, creed, nationality and even what kind of climate your country has, doesn’t matter as long as you have the love and the passion for the beautiful game.