The President of the Togolese Republic Faure Gnassingbe, praised the impressive organisation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The president expressed his admiration for the amazing stadiums that were built and the equipment available for the tournament, as well as the advanced infrastructure and the development process achieved by Qatar.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), the president said Qatar should be proud of its history and development and what it has shown to the whole world, and the remarkable development it has achieved, as well as the distinguished organisation of the World Cup that was not achieved by countries before. Qatar is a country with a promising future, he stressed.
He pointed out Qatar has thwarted all the malicious campaigns it was subjected to since winning the bid to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It has proven its ability to organise an exceptional World Cup and fulfilled all its promises by showing a lot of determination, seriousness and diligence, he said.
In the beginning there were those who questioned the ability of Qatar to organise a sporting event of this size, and they used to say that there are no football traditions in Qatar, the president pointed out. However, these criticisms has fallen flat in the face of the wonderful organisational success, enthusiasm and large public attendance, the president added.
He said the malicious campaigns, which aimed at questioning Qatar's ability to organise an exceptional World Cup, involved non-sports agendas, pointing out that some claim the right to give lessons to others and judge them according to their standards. This is "unacceptable," he stressed.
Hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 for the first time in the Arab world has succeeded in changing the stereotype about the region and showed that Qatar and the Middle East have the same passion for football, enthusiasm and ambition, the president said adding this should entice and encourage FIFA to balance the representations within it, as well as alternate the distribution of the organisation of the World Cup tournament.
Gnassingbe said Qatar's organisation of the World Cup has achieved many gains, most notably that it provided an opportunity for the world to discover the splendour of Arab culture and its values, and to get acquainted with the Qatari society and the impressive development witnessed by the country.
With regard to bilateral relations between the two countries, the president stressed that the two nations are keen to consolidate relations and co-operation in various fields, noting that his previous visit to Doha was within the framework of an economic forum.
The president said he had the honour of meeting His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, "and talks took place between us, and therefore we are on the way to enrich and consolidate relations between the two countries in the future".
The president concluded his statement with QNA by congratulating His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and the Qatari people on the occasion of the National Day, wishing Qatar further prosperity and development.