Qatar 2022 will see full houses: FIFA boss

Article posted by Coliseum, February 4^th, 2021

Image: FIFA

The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, is confident that FIFA World Cup 2022™ in Qatar will see full houses even though coronavirus continues to bare its fangs in several countries of the world.

The FIFA chief said on February 1st that he was sure that the sporting showpiece will “witness stadiums full of football-loving spectators”.

FIFA quoted Infantino as stating in a virtual meeting in Geneva (Switzerland), “I am very, very confident [the event] will be incredible, will have the same magic, uniting the world…we will be back to where we have to be.”

The 2022 FIFA World Cup™ is scheduled to be the 22^nd edition of the FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international men’s association football championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 21^st to December 18^th, 2022.

The FIFA boss also stated in the virtual that administering jabs to the footballers against the dreaded COVID-19 is not presently being considered as they are “not a priority group”.

FIFA sources further informed that qualifying games for the 2022 soccer showpiece is set to begin next month following a delay due to the coronavirus scourge. Some 3,000 players from 135 teams will be trying their luck and will also be demonstrating their pitch prowess for the major sports event.

Nasser Al-Khater, CEO, FIFA World Cup™ Qatar 2022 LLC, had earlier stated in the same vein as Infantino that the country is set to host “normal post-pandemic” games.

FIFA further quoted Khater as stating in December 2019 that “the introduction of the vaccine and the rollout of the vaccine, it’s definitely good news for everybody.”

Meanwhile, in Qatar, the cream of crop teams from around the globe has descended on the capital City for the FIFA Club World Cup™ which is starting today (February 4^th).

The FIFA Club World Cup™ is an international men’s association football competition organized by FIFA, the sport’s global governing body. The competition was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship.

FIFA further quoted Pitso Mosimane, Manager, Egypt’s Al Ahly SC, as remarking, “We are delighted to be in Qatar for this exciting tournament. There are many Al Ahly fans in Doha – and we are looking forward to having their support in our match against Al-Duhail SC (Qatari sports club). This will be a great test for us as we aim to qualify for the semi-finals and a match against Bayern Munich (German professional sports club).”

Mohamed Serageldin, Board Member, Al Ahly SC, Egypt, will be one of the Speakers at the Coliseum Online Week MENA Worldwide which is all set to be held from February 10^th-11^th, 2021.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 380 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue