From left to right: The Supreme Committee’s Executive Director for Sports and Development Sakis Batsilas, Executive Director for Communications and Marketing Nasser al-Khater, Delia Fischer, FIFA’s Head of Media, Juergen Muller, head of 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups and Ruediger Mueller, FIFA World Cup Content and Multimedia Group Leader during the press interaction yesterday. Pictures: Noushad Thekkayil


By Sports Reporter/Doha

The number of stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has not been finalised yet and will depend on the outcome of a ‘feasibility and risk’ study, members of a top FIFA delegation visiting Qatar told journalists yesterday.
The delegation comprising Juergen Muller, head of 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups, Delia Fischer, FIFA’s Head of Media and Ruediger Mueller, FIFA World Cup Content and Multimedia Group Leader are in Qatar to engage in discussions with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Local Organising committee and other bodies with a view to develop a framework that will ensure a safe and successful tournament.
The Supreme Committee’s Executive Director for Sports and Development Sakis Batsilas and Executive Director for Communications and Marketing Nasser al-Khater also attended the “roundtable” with local journalists at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Clarifying reports that have appeared in certain sections of the media that the World Cup will be played in eight stadiums, Fisher said the situation is still fluid because further studies need to be done due to the “unique” nature of the event which is essentially being played in one city, much like the Olympics.
FIFA World Cup regulations require a host country to have between eight to 12 stadiums and Qatar had requested the tournament be held at eight venues, but Fischer said it all depends on the outcome of an ongoing study.
“We are in discussions to confirm the number of stadiums. Feasibility studies are currently being carried out for eight stadiums but the final number will be confirmed only next year. The Supreme Committee which is conducting the study will submit its report to the FIFA Executive Committee next year,” Fischer said.
The main issue is that of the quality of the soil and the grass and whether eight venues can take the heavy load of hosting 64 matches in the World Cup over a one-month period. The weather in Qatar during the event will be also a factor that is being taken into consideration in the study.
Twelve stadiums were used for matches at the World Cup in Brazil earlier this year, while the 2010 tournament in South Africa was played at 10 stadiums.
Batsilas said the World Cup in Qatar will be unique in many ways.
“Brazil, which hosted the event this year, is 759 times bigger than Qatar, while 2018 hosts Russia is more than 1,000 times bigger. Qatar is just about 150km in length and between 70 to 80km in breadth. So you can imagine the challenges,” Batsilas said.
But he added that the challenges are also massive opportunities.
“In Qatar fans will be able to reach each venue from a main hotel in a matter of about 22 minutes, while in Brazil they had to fly between cities, sometimes taking between four to five hours.
“The World Cup in Qatar would be like the Olympic Games – everything happens within one city.”
Batsilas said that with several expressways being planned and metro lines in the pipeline, fans can watch up to four matches in a day if they wished and added that the Supreme Committee is working with various bodies, including Ashghal, to come up with fool-proof plans so that the hundreds of thousands of fans expected in Qatar during the tournament do not face any logistical problems.
Fischer, meanwhile, also brushed aside the constant tirade against Qatar, especially by the Western media.
“This is normal,” the FIFA media chief said. “If you remember during the build-up to the 2010 World Cup, South Africa faced a lot of criticism. The crime rate in South Africa was a constant topic of discussion, with one newspaper even suggesting that players will have to wear bullet proof vests during the matches!
“Even before the World Cup in Brazil, someone had suggested that people risk being eaten by anacondas during matches at Manaus.”
The FIFA delegation also expressed their surprise at the pace of development in Qatar. “We have been visiting Qatar ever since the 2022 World Cup was awarded to the country and each time we are amazed with the progress the country is making,” Fischer said.