A statement by Theo Zwanziger, the German member on the executive committee of FIFA, that Qatar will not host the World Cup 2022 due to high temperatures has spread in the global media. Zwanziger’s controversial remark comes despite Qatar’s continued insistence that a summer World Cup is viable thanks to the cooling technology it would use in stadiums, and commitment to meet all challenges on the way.
I had written several times before in this newspaper that Qatar’s successful bid represents the success of the whole Middle East region and, in addition to creating new prospects for the region, it would help bridge the gap between the West and East and give the region an opportunity to build a cultural bridge. Doha’s success reinforces the saying that the World Cup is for everyone, irrespective of considerations of nationality, colour, race, ethnicity, ideology and climate.
The benefits to be derived from hosting the Cup are significant. The event will be a catalyst for social change, by helping to bring in new social laws and regulations, security, freedom, principles of justice and human rights. It will help change the regional outlook and strengthen peace and stability in the region as well as promote technology. Qatar has all it takes to host this prestigious event; it has to be viewed as a privilege, not an obligation.
Qatar also remains committed to the original objective of creating new opportunities for ambitious youth in the region who form the majority of the population and inspire them to achieve success.
The problem of heat in Qatar is being sensationalised. 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.
Even in the recently concluded World Cup in Brazil, some games were played in places with high temperatures. In Qatar and the Middle East, people live in scorching heat but no one has died.
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.
The Peninsula
