For Sebastião Lazaroni, the vastly experienced coach who took Brazil to the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, the prospect of Qatar hosting the tournament would be a dream come true.

As a man who has deep experience of the tournament, as well as contributing to the current football landscape in Qatar, Lazaroni is as well placed as anyone to comment.

Since 2008, Lazaroni has plied his trade in different roles in Doha, both as head of Qatar Sports Club and the national team.

As Brazil recovers from an unexpected defeat and moves towards the match for third place, the enthusiastic coach sees nothing but positives when he contemplates the tournament coming to Qatar in eight years.

He said: “The organisation will be great in Qatar, because they have the necessary passion and they have the resources to put on a fantastic tournament. Qatar’s World Cup will be an amazing dream, and now they must keep working to create the best conditions for the players and fans.”

Talking to SC.qa in front of the successful FIFA Fan Fest in Rio de Janeiro, Lazaroni said that based on his own coaching experiences, a compact FIFA World Cup in Qatar would greatly benefit supporters.

“The fact that everything will be a short distance from other venues means that the fans will benefit. A tournament in the Arab world is also a chance to give youngsters the opportunity to be inspired by the stars,” he said.

When asked about Qatar’s cooled Brazil 2014 Fan Zone, the coach who guided Brazil to a Copa America triumph in 1989, said preparations were clearly on track.

“They are preparing something really good there,” he added. “So people can watch football in the best conditions.”

Lazaroni also expressed his satisfaction at the tournament in his native Brazil so far, calling it the greatest ever FIFA World Cup to date.

He added: “This is the best World Cup ever. It is very nice, the quality of football has been great and will continue to be high. For me the best players so far have been Robben, James, Ruiz, Neymar, Matuidi.”

Before continuing on his morning walk along the famous Avenida Atlantica sidewalk and its iconic tiled walkways, he gave a parting tip to the youngsters of a football crazy region who will be awaiting their own chance to shine in eight years time: “My advice is simple. Try to have fun, enjoy yourself with the ball. This is life; try to follow your dream.”

 

 

 

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