Qatar’s vast wealth helps it host FIFA World Cup
ZURICH, Switzerland — Qatar has become the World Cup hosting superpower.
But despite all the money flowing into its coffers, the tiny Gulf state is not a first class place to host a major sporting event.
To overcome those concerns, it has launched a massive makeover in recent weeks to make the country the world’s most advanced sporting technology host by 2030.
The massive reforms, which include an upgrade to infrastructure to bring in more fans, have prompted criticism from some quarters.
And in the wake of the new technologies, many critics believe the country has lost the competitive edge that made it a world power by hosting three World Cups and hosting the men’s and women’s national footbaloap tournaments.
Qatar has been hailed by critics in the footballing world as the world’s best sports city.
It boasts a vast range of sports facilities and is a regular host of the soccer World Cups, and Qatar Airways is the only airline in the world that regularly uses an Airbus A380.
The world needs to see why Qatar should host a major sporting event like the World Cup, said one expert, who asked not to be named.
“Qatar already has everything it needs to host world class sporting events and it has the means to improve the infrastructure and make it more user-friendly,” says the critic.
“But they need to get over the fact that the country does not have the cultural or ethnic diversity it needs to draw in the crowds and generate the revenue. That is the key reason why they have had so many problems hosting big sporting events.”
But at a ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, made it clear that the country is not going to compromise its vision for hosting the World Cup finals.
“It is too late for us to think about the future. We will not stop working until we make it the best World Cup host in the world,” he said.
The World Cup is in the middle of a nine-year phase of