Mohamed bin Hammam backs FIFA World Cup in Qatar
President of the Asian Football Confederation Mohamed bin Hammam supports Federation Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) decision to award the 2022 World Cup to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Qatar-c2986, saying that he expects the tournament to have a tremendous impact on the region.
Speaking just a few hours prior to the kick-off of the Asian Cup 2011 final, Bin Hammam said, “If you ask me what is the impact of organising the World Cup on this region, that is very huge. The region will benefit from tourists. Economically, a lot of infrastructure
is to be built. A lot of people are going to come to work for construction of this infrastructure.”
FIFA recently came under fire for their decision to award Qatar with the hosting rights of the World Cup in 2022. The temperatures in the region can rise to as high as 50 degree Celsius in the summers, making it almost impossible for any kind of sport.
Many accused FIFA officials of corruption, claiming that the decision to award the small Middle Eastern country with the hosting rights to the biggest tournament in the world was motivated by greed.
However, FIFA have found at least one more high profile supporter in the form of Mohamed bin Hammam. The AFC president believes that Qatar will be a fantastic venue for the World Cup, claiming that the legacy of the tournament will be changed forever.
Speaking on Qatar's ability to host such a huge event, Bin Hammam said, “I see a huge impact, including in the way that the game of football will be promoted - in a very huge way. The legacy the World Cup will leave in this region, I cannot actually mention
all of it in this conference.”
It has been reported that Mohamed bin Hammam is set to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency when the next elections are held in June 2011. For now though, the AFC president is busy in wrapping up the Asian Cup, which is also being held in Qatar.
The tournament has so far been a huge success, which is sure to change at least a few opinions about Qatar’s ability to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
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