The President of the Football Association of Iceland praised Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup plans during a visit to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC).
Gudni Bergsson spoke to www.sc.qa after visiting the SC’s Legacy Pavilion at Al Bidda Tower and meeting members of Qatar’s football family.
Speaking about Qatar’s World Cup preparations, the former Iceland international said he was particularly impressed with the legacy programmes.
“Everything has been extremely well thought out, from a tournament point of view and a social point of view,” said Bergsson, who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League.
“Qatar has really thought about how the World Cup can benefit the country and the region in the long-term. I now see the Qatar World Cup in a much clearer light and I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Iceland recently became the smallest country by population ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. They finished top of their European qualifying group, ahead of Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey, to book a ticket to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The successful qualifying campaign follows a strong showing at Euro 2016, where Iceland reached the quarter-finals after knocking out England in the last 16.
Bergsson said Iceland, which has a population of 330,000, prioritises grassroots football. “Our main strength as a football nation is the emphasis we put into grassroots football. It all starts with six-year-olds wanting to play football. We have coaches, facilities, a strong work ethic and good strategy. We also have star players that young children want to emulate. “We prepare young players for the next step, which usually involves playing in European leagues. It is all about developing players for the highest level.”
Qatar’s native population is similar to Iceland’s, and Bergsson believes the Maroons can learn plenty from their Nordic friends.
He added: “There are clear similarities. We are both small countries so we’re in a position to plan effectively. The key, however, is to work very hard in order to be competitive in this big world.”