2022 World Cup

Qatar could reportedly foot a bill of as much as £138 billion for staging the 2022 World Cup.

Dr Nicola Ritter, a German legal and financial analyst, revealed to an investors’ summit held in Munich that £107bn would be spent on stadiums and facilities, plus a further £31bn on transport infrastructure.
Ritter told Construction News that £30bn would be spent on building air-conditioned stadia with at least 12 needed.
Ritter went on to say that £48bn would be spent on training facilities and accommodation for players and fans.
A further £28bn will be plundered on creating a new city called Lusail, which will surround the stadium and host the opening and final matches of the tournament.
Qatar controversially beat bids from the USA, Australia, Japan and Korea to acquire the right to host the tournament in 2020.

Read the full Eurosport article here.

It has been a game of two halves ever since it was codified by the British in the 19th century but Fifa’s controversial decision to award the World Cup to Qatar in 2022 could see football become a game of three thirds.

Having decided to play the tournament in the middle of summer in a country where temperatures regularly exceed 40C, Fifa have been wrestling with the problem of how the world’s best players are going to cope with the conditions.
Air conditioned, indoor stadiums will help, but even that might not be enough to keep them at a safe temperature according to Michael Beavon, a director of Arup Associates, the company responsible for developing the zero-carbon solar technology intended to cool them.
As a result, one proposal being considered by Fifa is to play the 90 minute games over three 30-minute periods if the temperature inside the stadiums exceeds 30c because of the potential health risks involved.

Read the full Daily Telegraph article here

Uefa president Michel Platini has not ruled out the idea of rescheduling the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to combat the hot weather in June and July.
Temperatures in the summer months in the Middle Eastern country can reach 40C to 50C.
“Football in the Gulf in January, that would be easier than June, why not, it’s possible,” said Platini.

Read the full BBC article here

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has apologised for saying gay fans should “refrain from sexual activity” if they go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and Blatter’s original comments provoked outrage among gay rights groups who said he should apologise or resign.
Blatter said: “It was not my intention and never will be my intention to go into any discrimination.
“If somebody feels hurt, then I regret [it] and present apologies.”
Blatter sparked the controversy when, earlier this week, he apparently joked: “I’d say they [gay fans] should refrain from any sexual activities” if they go to the Gulf Nation for the 2022 tournament.
Then, speaking seriously, he said he was sure there would be no problems.

See the full BBC article here

Reports indicate that Everton, Newcastle and Tottenham head a shortlist of takeover targets for the Qatar royal family, who are looking to follow up on their success in landing the 2022 World Cup.

Franz Beckenbauer says the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should be played in January and February, when the temperatures in the Gulf state are more moderate.
The German football great and FIFA executive committee member said it would be possible to make a one-time change to European league fixtures to allow for the World Cup to be played in winter.

Beckenbauer told Saturday’s Bild newspaper this would be a cheaper solution then air conditioning all stadiums. Qatar’s summer temperatures top 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

“One should think about another solution. In January and February you have comfortable 25 degrees (Celsius — 77 Fahrenheit) there,” Beckenbauer said. “Qatar won the vote and deserves a fair chance as the first host from the Middle East.”

Read the full USA Today article here

IT IS, of course, a chest-beating tale of woe that Australia missed out on hosting the 2022 World Cup.

But not for the reasons espoused by all and sundry so far.

Sure, delegates looked bid committee members in the face and lied so what? This happens in politics all the time and FIFA is one of the most political organisations in existence.

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Of course, there were compelling reasons to grant the tournament to the only populated continent that had not held it, despite the on-the-ground squabble from rival codes.

But the biggest cause for lament is that by 2022 the World Cup might have had its prestige restored.

That’s right, restored.

The sad fact is, what was once considered the most prestigious in the modern sense of the word tournament in world sport has become the most prestigious in the old sense of the word and that’s not a good thing.
Read the full Herald Sun article here

How will it be possible to play football in the small Arab country where summer temperatures typically reach the mid 40s Celsius?

The answer is a lot of refrigeration and solar power.

The designers claim that as a result, the stadium will be carbon neutral.

Michael Beaven, from the engineering firm Arup, is one of the architects responsible.

Read the full BBC World Service article here

Qatar won over FIFA with a promise that a World Cup in the Middle East would be good for football. Now it faces what could be an even harder task: Convincing skeptical fans who fear the desert nation will hold a sweltering, boring and alcohol-free tournament.

Many fans wrongly believe Qatar has the same draconian social restrictions of Saudi Arabia, or the violence that plagues Afghanistan and Iraq.

Twitter was alive with such fears immediately after Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament Thursday. Some fans suggested Qatar would keep women out of stadiums and many fretted they won’t be able to buy a beer anywhere in the country.

Read the full NBC Sports Article here

Qatar’s media on Friday hailed the “guts, gumption and glory” of the tiny Gulf Arab State’s victory in securing rights to host the 2022 World Cup.

“The young bid team successfully swayed FIFA’s aging executive committee with promises of a colorful, compact and carbon-neutral World Cup,” The Peninsula newspaper said on their front page.

That Qatar was able to persuade FIFA decision makers came as a surprise to many, and the country rejoiced exuberantly on Thursday night in outdoor cafes and along its seaside corniche.

Read the full Reuters article here