By Duncan Mackay in Doha
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 17 – Qatar are hoping that the announcement of Zinedine Zidane as the most high-profile of their ambassadors will help revive their bid to host the 2022 World Cup after FIFA cast serious doubt over its chances.
Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the head of the FIFA inspection team, claimed that hosting the tournament there would present “logistical challenges” about of the small size of the Gulf state.
But Zidane, the star of the French side that lifted the World Cup in 1998, is clearly passionate that the event should come here.
“Football is for everyone,” said Zidane, whose parents were both originally from Algeria.
“When I think of all the youth of the Middle East, what they’re missing is an event like the World Cup.
“We had [the 2010 World Cup] in Africa and now it is time for the Middle East.”
Zidane stunned the inspectors during the final presentation when he walked out during a video that he was narrating.
He then surprised the media by pulling off the same trick during the wrap-up press conference.
Zidane joins a list of other Qatar ambassadors that also includes former Dutch captain Ronald De Boer and Argentinian striker Gabriel Batisuta.
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