February 25 – Organisers of the 2022 Qatar World Cup today outlined their vision of what they have promised will be an “outstanding” tournament regardless of the controversy over switching it to winter.
Although the first ever local organising committee board meeting was somewhat overshadowed by the global reaction to breaking almost 100 years of tradition, CEO Hassan al-Thawadi described the meeting with FIFA officials as “a significant milestone” in preparations.
Al-Thawadi and his team presented their Tournament Operation Master Plan (TOMP) to FIFA, based on staging the most compact World Cup in history, focussing on stadium development and transport links.
“Today’s meeting was a significant milestone as we continue to make progress towards hosting an outstanding FIFA World Cup which will leave a lasting legacy for future generations in the Middle East,” said a statement by Al-Thawadi who hosted a post-board meeting press conference attended by FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke. “This was an opportunity to demonstrate our operational preparations and ensure we are ready to deliver the tournament as early as possible.
“The first LOC board meeting is a symbol that this World Cup is not simply a concept for a tournament that will be held in the distant future. It is evidence that we are working every single day to deliver a unique tournament that will bring people in the Middle East together and build bridges between East and West.”
Valcke revealed that the plan was for the actual dates for the tournament, as well as the number of stadia, to be announced “by the end of this year.”
The next important step would be for the LOC to provide FIFA with feasibility studies “to identify the best number of venues to ensure perfect playing conditions for the teams.”
Valcke was understandably keen to paint a positive picture of progress but made it clear that the controversial issue of living standards for migrant workers would not be ignored.
“It was very encouraging to see yesterday the Al-Wakrah stadium construction site as well as the respective workers living facilities. I am no expert on these issues but I can see that progress is being made particularly with the standards introduced by the Supreme Committee related to 2022 infrastructure.
“At the same time, recognising this is a complex issue that is vital for the Qatari authorities to continue to work on with labour experts to ensure that the initiated measures on welfare standards are sustainably implemented for all workers in Qatar and not limited to 2022 projects.”
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