Qatar: No ‘white elephant’ legacy for World Cup stadiums
Doha: Qatari officials said Sunday any future World Cup stadiums for 2022 or 2026 would be built to make the stadiums “a world-class centre of entertainment for football fans, for all ages”.
“We have given a clear message to the FIFA that we are looking at [stadiums] under the Qatar 2022 World Cup umbrella and that we are ready to host [World Cup stadiums], as Qatar will host in 2022,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter told a news conference in Doha.
The FIFA chief had earlier said the organisation would consider “every possible option” to ensure the FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar in 2022 and 2026 would “be the most secure in the future”.
Any new World Cup stadiums would have to meet FIFA requirements and meet all the security and health requirements of the international football body, Blatter said.
“It is very clear to us that we must have a very good World Cup in Qatar, but it is also clear to us that the responsibility for this is a matter for the World Cup organising committee,” Blatter said.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup finals and the 2026 edition of the event.
The 2022 event, to be held from June 14 to July 14, will feature the reigning champions France, the Netherlands and Australia, while Argentina and Germany will be the two host nations.
The 2022 World Cup finals will also be broadcast live in Qatar on a special channel for international and local viewing.
The tournament will also be available for free to all football fans through a new interactive service called the QPR Digital Platform developed by the Qatar Foundation.
Qatar is spending about $2 billion for the World Cup project.
Qatar’s World Cup Stadium was built with local donations, and the stadium will be the main venue for the FIFA World Cup. (AFP)