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| Put your shirt on it: Al Thawadi and former Saudi Arabian player Sami Al Jaber pose in Malaysia [AFP] |
The searing desert heat of a Middle East summer will be no obstacle to Qatar hosting a World Cup finals, the Gulf State's bid chief said 10 days after hosting a successful international football friendly between Brazil and England.
Temperatures in Doha were in the mild high-20s as the Khalifa Stadium provided the setting for a rather drab 1-0 Brazil win on November 14.
But the thermometer could soar to 40C and above in June and July 2022 – a fact that will be one of world governing Fifa's concerns as they choose a host for that year's finals.
Speaking at the Asian Football Confederation annual awards in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, Qatar 2022 chief executive Hassan Al Thawadi said new technologies would help beat the heat – although whether the country's new wave of planned stadiums would be air-conditioned is still uncertain.
'Not too hot'
"It will be hot, but not too hot," Al Thawadi said on Tuesday.
"We are developing technology which will help with the June and July heat and conditions."
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"Hosting the World Cup in the Middle East will allow everybody from the East and the West to come together and celebrate"
Qatar 2022 CEO Hassan Al Thawadi
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He said an announcement on the technology would be made soon.
Both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup host nations will be selected by the Fifa in December 2010.
South Africa are hosting the 2010 World Cup and Brazil the 2014 tournament.
Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, the United States and joint bids from Portugal-Spain and Belgium-Netherlands are bidding for both the 2018 and 2022 events.
Qatar and South Korea are bidding only to stage the 2022 edition.
'Truly historic'
"We made an assessment of when we could host a truly historic World Cup," Al Thawadi said.
"In 2018 we would be ready to stage a very successful World Cup but by '22 we can guarantee something truly historic – every year counts."
For either Qatar or South Korea to stand a chance of hosting 2022 they must hope an Asian nation does not win the 2018 finals as Fifa regulations demand regional rotation.
Qatar are pushing their bid on the merits of technology development, an historic first global sporting event for the Middle East and the compact nature of the plan.
Rather than being a disadvantage, Al Thawadi said Qatar's size – a peninsula of 11,437sq km – would prove a great benefit to fans.
"People will be able to remain in one city throughout the Cup. They will be able to travel to other cities to watch matches and then return to where they are staying, without worrying about accommodation," he said.
"Hosting the World Cup in the Middle East will allow everybody from the East and the West to come together and celebrate."
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