Calderon, who was at the helm of La Liga giants from 2006-2009, said nothing can stop Qatar from organising an impressive World Cup. “Qatar is a small country in population and size but gigantic in determination, perseverance, in keeping its commitment and developing big projects. That’s why I am sure that they will not only come back stronger from this pandemic but nothing can prevent them from organising and hosting the best World Cup ever in history,” Calderon said in a recent interview to Alkass Digital.
He also quoted former UK prime minister Winston Churchill to describe Qatar’s resoluteness. “Winston Churchill said to the people of UK during World War II that kites rise higher against the wind. And I think that applies quite well to Qatari people. They’ve faced malicious attacks from different parts of the world trying to discredit the country and trying to harm intentionally to stop them from hosting the World Cup. They have been overcoming a very, very unfair blockade from neighbouring countries. They have emerged from it more united and stronger than ever,” Calderon, also a lawyer who once practised in the UK, added.
Speaking from his base in Madrid, the 68-year-old said he was hopeful that La Liga and Champions League could be finished this season, albeit without spectators. La Liga has started testing players for coronavirus last week as part of the protocols in place for training to resume and elite football in Spain to get going again behind closed doors in June. The protocols are part of a four-phase process progressing from preparation for training, individual training, group training and then collective training.
“With just 11 matches remaining in La Liga, the season could still be finished,” said Calderon. “They could play on the weekend and also on weekdays and combine Champions League matches, where I think the solution would be to play only one match in a neutral stadium and not have two legs. But we have to wait and see. Playing behind closed doors makes sense. I think the government won’t allow to play in front of fans,” he added.
The man responsible for bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu from Manchester United in 2009, Calderon said Real Madrid, who have struggled since the Portuguese striker left for Juventus, will bounce back.
“Real were not in the best moment when the competition was stopped. But it was not so bad, Real were second in La Liga two points behind Barcelona with 11 matches to be played. So there is still plenty of time to recover. In the Champions League, we lost against Manchester City in the first leg, but with second leg still to be played, Real can bounce back if the matches are resumed in the near future. Real never give up. They have won three Champions League titles when they were underdogs, so anything is possible with them,” he said.
Calderon felt the growing financial crisis at teams across Europe due to coronavirus pandemic will result in a steep drop in the value of footballers as clubs prepare to cut transfer spending this year. “Anything a club president or coach was planning two months ago, nothing is going to happen now,” he said.
“The transfer market is going to change very much, so will the sports industry. I don’t see much transfers happening next season. The crisis will economically affect all the teams, there is no doubt about that. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the income from TV rights and sponsorship. And of course there is the loss of gate receipts. Every club will have to change their plans in the future, including Real Madrid,” he noted.