Doha: Delegates from Scotland’s perennial powerhouse club — Celtic FC — visited Doha recently to meet Qatar’s football authorities ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Celtic’s chief executive Peter Lawell and Commercial Director Adrian Filby liaised with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), the Qatar Stars League (QSL), the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and with Aspire Academy.
As one of Scotland’s most important clubs, and former champions of Europe, Celtic’s mission in Qatar was to take part in a knowledge exchange exercise and share their experience and expertise. In return, they learnt about the plans and progress about the 2022 World Cup.
Also part of the Scottish contingent in Doha were Celtic youth development squads along with their coaches Mark McNally (under-16), Miodrag Krivokapic (under-18), and Celtic’s Head of Youth Development, Chris McCart.
Participating in a tri-series tournament alongside Corinthians of Brazil and their hosts from Aspire, McCart’s development squads found it tough to edge past their Brazilian rivals, losing by a one-goal deficit on two occasions: a 4-3 thriller in the under-16 match and a 1-0 loss for the older boys.
Against the hosts from Aspire, Celtic fared better by drawing one match and winning the other.
Celtic’s Head of Youth Development told www.sc.qa that his first visit to Qatar had been impressive on all levels.
“It’s been an enjoyable experience. It’s a very hospitable country and they’ve made us feel very welcome. Aspire is probably world class. I don’t think there’s better out there regarding proportion and what they’ve got to offer their young players. I think they recruit the best coaches, the best sport scientists, the best medics and the best grounds-people to make sure facilities are excellent. Money is no object to them, but this is a long-term project that everyone has bought into at Aspire and I think it will bear fruit over time as it keeps developing,” McCart said.
Since most of these young players could very well be part of the 2022 generation in Qatar, Celtic’s trip to Aspire was important as they got a taste of how Qatar
was building up its football
culture: from the results on
the pitch, to the stadia and facilities, and finally the cooling technology.
“It’s great to see the world class facilities. From what I’ve seen so far, Qatar is very inventive and they make sure things happen. I think they can put on a successful World Cup; they’ll make sure that the facilities are excellent, especially with air-cooled stadiums,” McCart said
The coach also highlighted that for fans and players, the compact tournament concept will make the 2022 FIFA World Cup a great success. “It’s also important that there’s going to be a real community aspect when everyone’s so close to each other and they’re not as detached. But in the end, I’ve been very impressed with the organisation and innovation and I think it will be a very successful World Cup.” QNA
