Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Player of the Year, Nassir Al Shamrani of Saudi Arabia, spoke about the significance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar on the sidelines of the AFC Awards 2014 in Makati City, Manila’s financial district, yesterday.
Excerpts:
Q: The FIFA World Cup has been held in almost every region in the world except the Middle East. What will the tournament mean for the region?
A: The reason that Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup is to show the world that our region and its inhabitants are peaceful. And of course the World Cup will attract the attention of the world, the entire world, to this region. This region, which is usually known for its problems, instead will see a special and unique World Cup. We will convey the message, that our region is a region of peace and one passionate for football. Hopefully, Qatar will host a successful World Cup not only for the Middle East but for all of Asia.
Q: After winning the Gulf Cup, Qatar is now ranked 88th in the world and 10th in Asia. Also, Qatar’s under-19 team has won the AFC Championship in Myanmar last month. Does this mean Qatar’s investment in sport is paying off?
A: Surely, these results prove Qatar’s hard work. Winning the Gulf Cup for the first time outside Qatar was special…This proves that Qatari football is a force to be reckoned with.
And even the under-19 side at the AFC Championship played tough matches against strong opponents...Hopefully, we
will see Qatar playing good
football at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.
THE PENINSULA
