A computer generated picture of Lusail Stadium.
Qatar’s ‘generous’ offer to provide one million COVID-19 vaccines to visitors keen to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup matches will ensure a safe event in Nov-Dec next year, football fans in the country and the region have said.
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s assurance that Qatar’s World Cup preparations are ahead of schedule, residents and visitors have applauded the host country for building ‘architecturally fascinating’ infrastructure in rapid fashion.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani said Qatar remains on course to deliver a World Cup edition to remember despite COVID-19 challenges.
“Throughout the global pandemic, Qatar’s COVID-19 strategy and initiatives, its focus on health and safety and the country’s ability to innovate, have significantly helped and supported the country’s tourism and hospitality industry. With the Prime Minister’s announcement to provide one million free vaccine for fans attending the FIFA World Cup, this initiative will reassure fans that attending the event will be a safe experience with their well-being at the heart of Qatar’s concerns,” Andrew Humphries, Acting Chief Executive Officer for Katara Hospitality, told The Peninsula.
“There is no doubt that the new stadiums built for the FIFA World Cup 2022 have been brilliantly designed with a wealth of experience behind them to give all stakeholders a fantastic experience. All stadiums are located in close proximity to each other, allowing fans to easily go to more than one match per day. As for me, I will certainly attend as many matches as I possibly can,” Humphries added when asked to comment about Qatar’s new stadiums.
Mohammed Naeem Saleem, Chief Operations Officer; Nasser Bin Nawaf & Partners Holdings (NBN), said Qatar should be applauded for offering free COVID-19 vaccine to international fans.
“I think it’s a great gesture by Qatar to provide free vaccine to fans. It will no doubt provide safe and healthy environment for fans to enjoy the World Cup matches while ensuring fans fill up stadiums to support their teams and the World Cup itself. The only challenge I see is how this would be executed in the respective countries of fans. I am sure Qatar will deliver on that front as well,” Saleem said.
“I believe the infrastructure development is well on track. While COVID-19 situation might have delayed a few projects in general, but the government, however, is determined to make sure all the infrastructure is ready and tested well before the World Cup. One can witness the completion of many state-of-the-art stadiums and metro network is well-linked to control the World Cup traffic. The new road networks are almost reaching their completion.
“I see that Qatar has amazed the world with its brilliant new stadiums in which we see the blend of local heritage and modern innovation. There is no doubt Qatar will stage one of the best World Cup editions in the history and FIFA. I would love to attend the matches and be part of this glory,” Saleem added.
Hamood Hassan, Assistant Vice President - Finance, QInvest LLC, said Qatar has braved the toughest of challenges in preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“Qatar’s journey from the time of winning the bid and development work done till now to make this event possible is indeed phenomenal as many unexpected challenges were faced like blockade, global pandemic etc and despite all of this, Qatar’s government has successfully managed to tackle these problems. Qatar is on track to completing the planned infrastructure well within the deadlines,” Hassan, 33, told The Peninsula.
“Talking about Qatar’s quick action on getting it’s citizens and residents vaccinated makes Qatar as one of the top countries to overcome this pandemic in a short span of time with almost 85% of population has received first dose of vaccination. Qatar’s noble gesture of providing one million fans with free vaccine shows the great hospitality it represents as a nation which is progressive and welcoming,” Hassan added.
“Every football fan is anxiously waiting to attend this historic event. Qatar has built tremendously elegant stadiums which would definitely become centre of attraction and to make this even easier to access, transportation system has been intelligently developed which would enable fans to enjoy one of the most memorable events of their lifetime,” he said.
Dr Arshad Ali, a frequent visitor to Qatar from Oman, said the designs of the new World Cup stadiums were ‘architecturally fascinating’.
“The seven new stadiums built for the World Cup are architecturally fascinating and massive. I’d say seating 40-60,000 people to watch a live football match - wow, the mere thought of that excites me a great deal,” Ali, a researcher at Earth Sciences Research Centre, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, said from Muscat.
“During my family’s trip to Dubai in 2018 to celebrate my son’s high school graduation, I bought him a souvenir - a mug with a logo of the Qatar 2022 World Cup on it. At the same time, I promised him that we would celebrate his university graduation in Qatar during the World Cup in 2022. In addition, as an Omani resident, I want Oman to qualify for this event so that I have a chance to travel to Qatar wearing an Omani jersey. I am hoping that my wish comes true,” Ali, whose family is based in Canada, added. “Given that Qatar is the first country in the GCC to host a mega event like the FIFA World Cup, I anticipate an overwhelming response from neighboring countries where football is as popular as it is in Europe and the Americas.
“Having said that, Qatar PM’s gesture of providing one million free vaccines to fans, despite the fact that the event is still more than a year away, demonstrates that Qatar is strongly committed to pulling off a successful and historical event,” he said.
“When I visited Doha in 2017, I discovered it to have one of the world’s largest airports. Later, I saw the construction of two stadiums that drew my attention with their cutting-edge architecture. Qatar added seven brand new stadiums to the tally of eight for this event, indicating that the country is fully committed to the historic mega event. My host also informed me about the network of new roads and other modes of transportation, such as the brand new metro. I believe Qatar planned and built the infrastructure to host FIFA World Cup every 16-20 years as well as other major events such as the Olympics,” he said.
