Qatar view: It's ‘A Racist Bid To Snatch World Cup'2022’

*Qatar forms unified voice to hit back hard at claims 2022 World Cup will be moved due to excessive heat FIFA Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger’s view that the 2022 World Cup will ultimately be moved has, predictably, not gone down particularly well in host country Qatar. To recap, Zwanziger gave an interview to Sport Bild in which he said the soaring temperatures in Qatar that can reach up to 45C in summer would endanger the welfare of players and fans. “I think that at the end of the day the 2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar,” Zwanziger said. “Doctors say, and I had insisted on this point in the protocol, that they cannot guarantee that a World Cup can be held in summer in these conditions.” Zwanziger also rebutted the argument that cooling technologies could alleviate any problems. “The World Cup involves not only stadiums. There are fans coming from the four corners of the world who will be concerned by the heat. “The first incident putting a life in danger will be subject to an investigation. And that, nobody in the FIFA Executive Committee would want to reply to.” In a leader column in The Peninsula entitled “A racist bid to snatch the World Cup”, the paper’s editor-in-chief delivered an impassioned defence of Qatar’s right to host the tournament. “The problem of heat in Qatar is being sensationalised,” he wrote. “The US, in 1994, hosted a World Cup with high temperatures of above 45 degrees, Italy in 1934 hosted the Cup in the sizzling heat of above 40, and temperatures were high when the Cup was played in Mexico in 1970 and 1986. “There is nothing impossible if there is a dream and the will. Technology is capable of changing the hot weather conditions as it is capable of changing many other things. But technology cannot stop racist ideologies that seek to deny the right of people in this region to host the biggest soccer event in the world.” Elsewhere in The Peninsula, Nasser Al Khater of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the event was similarly dismissive about Zwanziger’s comments. “The only question now is WHEN not IF. Summer or winter, we will be ready,” Al Khater said in a statement. “We have proven that a FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the summer is possible with state-of-the-art cooling technology. We have demonstrated our cooling works in outdoor areas beyond stadiums. This summer we welcomed fans in Doha to an open-air Brazil 2014 Fan Zone with temperatures cooled to a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius. “The evolution of environment-friendly cooling technologies is an important legacy for our nation, region and for countries with similar climates, promising to expand the reach of major sporting events to countries where it was never thought possible before.” Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Qatar 2022 Organising Committee, told Die Welt newspaper that he was “sure that the 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar”. “No, I’m not worried,” he said. “Firstly because there’s no basis to lose the World Cup. And secondly because it’s the first World Cup in the Middle East. “When people think of this region, it’s rather in terms of conflict. The World Cup will be an occasion to unite peoples. It will leave a positive heritage.” The Gulf Times noted the encouraging words from German club Energie Cottbus and South Korean team Pohang Steelers on their recent visits to the Middle East country. Pohang Steelers vice president Lee Jae Youl reportedly described Qatar as: “The centre of the world and a prime location for a World Cup.” Felix Selle, assistant coach of Energie Cottbus, was also quoted as saying the country is “a short distance from many places, and many direct flights come to Doha. Qatar should seize the moment come 2022.” The article said it will become the first ever “compact” World Cup, in which fans will be able to watch more than one match a day and stay in the same accommodation throughout the event. Perhaps alleviating growing fears, Doha News said the judge in charge of the corruption investigations into the 2018 and 2022 World Cups doesn’t have the power to strip hosting rights. “German Hans-Joachim Eckert said he only has the power to sanction individuals who are found guilty of bribery or corruption, and that any decision involving the host countries themselves would be up to FIFA’s ruling executive committee or its congress of 209 federations.” Ethics investigator Michael Garcia will provide a report for Eckert, who heads the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee and hopes to draft his judgment in March 2015. That’s also when FIFA is expected to decide on a final date for Qatar to host the 2022 event. Because of the excessive heat in June-July, a task force is looking at January/February 2022 as a potential slot despite the possibility of a clash with the IOC’s Winter Olympics. November/December 2022 is the other possible winter option. Originally published as Qatar view: ‘A racist bid to snatch World Cup’