by Sean Roman, OTSL Analyst
FIFA’s executive committee voted to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. With Qatar getting the nod, the “World Cup,” has truly lived up to its venerated namesake.
The 2022 event will be an especially wonderful opportunity to bring some of the most divergent cultures together through the sport that unites the world unlike any other.
Just 12 years shy of kick-off, a brief explanation of Qatar as the proper choice to host the world’s most watched sporting event is warranted for all our dedicated On the Sportlines zealots (yes…all seventeen of you).
Qatar beat out stiff competition coming from England, the United States and Spain. Obviously, this will mark the first time an international sporting event of this magnitude will be held in the Middle East. Qatar was a vastly more surprising choice than Russia (also a first time host) since Qatar has an extremely limited soccer pedigree. In contrast, Eastern Europe has produced a terrific talent pool in the sport. Additionally, Poland and Ukraine will co-host the European Cup in 2012.
Just this past summer, South Africa was the first host country to fail to advance through group play. Qatar will have to work hard over the next 12 years to field a team ready to play with the world’s elite. Since the Qataris were able to put together an extraordinarily talented business team that secured the games, I am certain that they will dedicate themselves with equal diligence to putting a quality football (okay....soccer) team on the pitch.
Financially, Qatar can put on a grand spectacle. Qatar is a bastion of oil and gas reserves -- a modern day Boomtown. Under FIFA requirements, Qatar will need to have 12 stadiums with minimum capacities of 40,000 and an 80,000-seat stadium for the finals. Presently, they have 4 stadiums: Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, which seats 50,000, two stadiums that hold 25,000, and another which holds 18,000.
Qatar organizers have a monumental building project on their hands; which they are fully able to complete. Since the mid 1990’s, Qatar has developed at an astonishing pace, right along with Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Investors, builders, and workers have flooded Qatar and created a skyline that rivals many traditional international cities.
Qatar’s small size also makes it a bold choice. Qatar is comparable to the size of Connecticut, which means that rabid World Cup fans will be more centralized than ever. Policing soccer fans in a country without the type of legal system Western nations are accustomed to will pose an interesting challenge. For example, by law, drinking and dancing is limited to the small amount of bars and nightclubs in 4- and 5-star hotels. However, organizers have already promised to allow drinking in “fan zones.”
Bid chief executive Hassan al-Thawadi, 31, promised that fans from all nations would be welcome. “We are a very, very hospitable place that welcomes people from all parts of the world." "Bringing the World Cup to the Middle East now ... will feature to the world that the Middle East is home to a lot of people, it's opening its arms to the rest of the world."
The heat can reach 120 degrees during the time the World Cup is played. Accounting for the heat is the biggest challenge Qatar will face. The plan is to build air-conditioned stadiums that include individually air-conditioned seats. After the tournament, like a grand Lego project, the stadiums will be taken apart and sent to countries in need of them.
Franz Beckenbauer, FIFA executive committee member and former New York Cosmos and German superstar, has proposed the best idea to deal with the temperature: play the 2022 World Cup in January. Beckenbauer stated “It might make more sense to think about another solution.” “In January and February, temperatures are a comfortable 25 degrees.” [about 77 degrees Fahrenheit].
So much of what will happen between the present day and 2022 is just plain unpredictable, in our individual lives as well as in world affairs. Who knows what conflicts, elections, and business cycles will shape the course of human events. Who knows what will be gained and what will be lost. Nevertheless, I say with a great degree of confidence that in 2022, soccer will remain the World’s most popular sport and by being in Qatar, the World Cup will bring diverse cultures closer than ever and promote mutual aims, understanding, and good will.
The 2022 event will be an especially wonderful opportunity to bring some of the most divergent cultures together through the sport that unites the world unlike any other.
Just 12 years shy of kick-off, a brief explanation of Qatar as the proper choice to host the world’s most watched sporting event is warranted for all our dedicated On the Sportlines zealots (yes…all seventeen of you).
Qatar beat out stiff competition coming from England, the United States and Spain. Obviously, this will mark the first time an international sporting event of this magnitude will be held in the Middle East. Qatar was a vastly more surprising choice than Russia (also a first time host) since Qatar has an extremely limited soccer pedigree. In contrast, Eastern Europe has produced a terrific talent pool in the sport. Additionally, Poland and Ukraine will co-host the European Cup in 2012.
Just this past summer, South Africa was the first host country to fail to advance through group play. Qatar will have to work hard over the next 12 years to field a team ready to play with the world’s elite. Since the Qataris were able to put together an extraordinarily talented business team that secured the games, I am certain that they will dedicate themselves with equal diligence to putting a quality football (okay....soccer) team on the pitch.
Financially, Qatar can put on a grand spectacle. Qatar is a bastion of oil and gas reserves -- a modern day Boomtown. Under FIFA requirements, Qatar will need to have 12 stadiums with minimum capacities of 40,000 and an 80,000-seat stadium for the finals. Presently, they have 4 stadiums: Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, which seats 50,000, two stadiums that hold 25,000, and another which holds 18,000.
Qatar organizers have a monumental building project on their hands; which they are fully able to complete. Since the mid 1990’s, Qatar has developed at an astonishing pace, right along with Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Investors, builders, and workers have flooded Qatar and created a skyline that rivals many traditional international cities.
Qatar’s small size also makes it a bold choice. Qatar is comparable to the size of Connecticut, which means that rabid World Cup fans will be more centralized than ever. Policing soccer fans in a country without the type of legal system Western nations are accustomed to will pose an interesting challenge. For example, by law, drinking and dancing is limited to the small amount of bars and nightclubs in 4- and 5-star hotels. However, organizers have already promised to allow drinking in “fan zones.”
Bid chief executive Hassan al-Thawadi, 31, promised that fans from all nations would be welcome. “We are a very, very hospitable place that welcomes people from all parts of the world." "Bringing the World Cup to the Middle East now ... will feature to the world that the Middle East is home to a lot of people, it's opening its arms to the rest of the world."
The heat can reach 120 degrees during the time the World Cup is played. Accounting for the heat is the biggest challenge Qatar will face. The plan is to build air-conditioned stadiums that include individually air-conditioned seats. After the tournament, like a grand Lego project, the stadiums will be taken apart and sent to countries in need of them.
Franz Beckenbauer, FIFA executive committee member and former New York Cosmos and German superstar, has proposed the best idea to deal with the temperature: play the 2022 World Cup in January. Beckenbauer stated “It might make more sense to think about another solution.” “In January and February, temperatures are a comfortable 25 degrees.” [about 77 degrees Fahrenheit].
So much of what will happen between the present day and 2022 is just plain unpredictable, in our individual lives as well as in world affairs. Who knows what conflicts, elections, and business cycles will shape the course of human events. Who knows what will be gained and what will be lost. Nevertheless, I say with a great degree of confidence that in 2022, soccer will remain the World’s most popular sport and by being in Qatar, the World Cup will bring diverse cultures closer than ever and promote mutual aims, understanding, and good will.
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