By Tom Degun at the Aspire Dome in Doha
November 13 – Qatar’s capital, Doha, has been confirmed to host the Asian qualifying rounds of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
The announcement, which was made at a press conference here, revealed that the qualifiers will be played at Katara Beach on January 22-26.
The competition in Asia will see teams vie for three spots at next year’s Beach Soccer World Cup, being held on the Pacific island of Tahiti in September.
It was also confirmed that the event will partner with the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, which is organising the FIFA 2022 World Cup in the country.
“Our decision to partner with FIFA Beach Soccer to host the Asian World Cup qualifiers demonstrates our commitment to the growth and development of football in Qatar and the region,” said the marketing and communications director for Qatar 2022 Nasser Al Khater (pictured below).
“It provides Qatar with an opportunity to showcase its hosting abilities in terms of organising a successful event with the aim of building toward ultimately hosting an unforgettable World Cup in 2022.
“Hosting the Asia qualifier is an opportunity for the general public in Qatar and visiting fans from neighbouring countries to come to a fun event, support their national teams and utilise the incredible beaches that our nation has been blessed with.”
The event in Doha will see Qatar’s national beach soccer team attempting to qualify for the first time, under the stewardship of Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Lisboa, popularly known as “Neném”, Brazil’s record goalscorer in beach soccer and voted the world’s best player in 2002.
He said that hosting the qualifiers can raise the profile of the sport and his players in Qatar.
“Playing host to the qualifying round is an exciting opportunity for our team,” Neném said.
“We will have the advantage of playing our matches in front of a home crowd.
“I hope that hosting the event will engage the local public with the sport and raise awareness of the talent that we have in our squad.”
Beach soccer’s popularity has risen sharply in recent years, evidenced by the fact that 12 nations are currently bidding to host the FIFA 2015 Beach Soccer World Cup.
Meanwhile, the official draw for the Asian qualifiers will take place in Doha in December following the closure of team registrations.
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