Iceland’s football chief hails Qatar’s WC legacy plans

The President of the Football Association of Iceland praised Qatar’s2022 FIFA World Cup plans during a visit to the Supreme Committee forDelivery & Legacy (SC).Gudni Bergsson spoke to www.sc.qa after visiting the SC’s LegacyPavilion at Al Bidda Tower and meeting members of Qatar’s footballfamily.Speaking about Qatar’s World Cup preparations, the former Icelandinternational said he was particularly impressed with the legacyprogrammes.“Everything has been extremely well thought out, from a tournament pointof view and a social point of view,” said Bergsson, who played forTottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League.“Qatar has really thought about how the World Cup can benefit thecountry and the region in the long-term. I now see the Qatar World Cupin a much clearer light and I’m very much looking forward to it.”Iceland recently became the smallest country by population ever toqualify for the FIFA World Cup. They finished top of their Europeanqualifying group, ahead of Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey, to book a ticketto the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.The successful qualifying campaign follows a strong showing at Euro2016, where Iceland reached the quarter-finals after knocking outEngland in the last 16.Bergsson said Iceland, which has a population of 330,000, prioritisesgrassroots football. “Our main strength as a football nation is theemphasis we put into grassroots football. It all starts withsix-year-olds wanting to play football. We have coaches, facilities, astrong work ethic and good strategy. We also have star players thatyoung children want to emulate. “We prepare young players for the nextstep, which usually involves playing in European leagues. It is allabout 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 sowe’re in a position to plan effectively. The key, however, is to workvery hard in order to be competitive in this big world.”