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FIFA and Qatar announce joint venture for 2022 World Cup

The new venture called 'FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC' (joint venture) will have Hassan Al Thawadi as its chairman. Al Thawadi currently heads the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC).

Hassan Al Thawadi and Fatma Samoura strike a happy pose after announcing the joint venture

Bengaluru/Doha, February 6: Football's global governing body -- FIFA-- and Qatar announced a joint venture to deliver the 2022 World Cup, which will be held for the first time in the Middle East.

FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura, who is part of the nine-member management board that met for the first time in Doha, said the new approach was undertaken in an effort to avoid inefficiencies and to deliver the best possible tournament for the fans, players and officials.

Earlier, the host nations solely had organisational duties.

From the 2026 tournament in the North American continent, FIFA will alone be responsible for holding the event with no involvement from the three host nations.

The new venture called 'FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC' (joint venture) will have Hassan Al Thawadi as its chairman. Al Thawadi currently heads the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the local organising committee in charge of Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The new delivery model will capitalise on the planning expertise the SC has built up since winning the right to host the tournament in 2010. Combined with FIFA's extensive tournament expertise, this innovative model of delivering world football's premier event aims to ensure an optimum World Cup experience for fans, players and officials in 2022.

Management board

Management board

Creating a joint venture forms part of FIFA's vision to create an organisation that streamlines the operational delivery of the World Cup.

The management board of the new entity comprises Samoura, FIFA's two Deputy Secretary Generals, Zvonimir Boban and Alasdair Bell, FIFA's Chief Tournaments & Events Officer, Colin Smith, and FIFA's Chief Legal Officer, Emilio Garcia Silvero, as well as Al Thawadi, SC's Chief of Tournament Readiness & Experience Group NasserAl Khater (who will be the CEO of the joint venture), the Vice Chairman of the Technical Operational Office Yasir Al Jamal, and Qatar Football Associatio Vice President, Saoud Al Mohannadi.

Major step

Major step

Commenting on the venture, Samoura said, "We are taking a major step in the organisation of the biggest single-sport event in the world. Created in accordance with the FIFA President's vision and together with our Qatari counterparts, the joint venture aims to reorganise the way we work at the operational front and avoid inefficiencies.

I'm convinced that this new approach to planning, delivery and legacy, always hand-in-hand with our colleagues based in Qatar, will help to ensure that the World Cup continues to be the most eagerly awaited event by billions of fans worldwide."

Event infrastructure

Event infrastructure

While the joint venture focuses on tournament delivery, the SC will continue to manage the development of event infrastructure, along with the various legacy programmes.

The Qatar 2022 World Cup will be held from November 21 to December 18 as in a break from tradition, the tournament was controversially pushed back to a winter window because of the scorching summer temperatures in the tiny Middle East country.

Dhow boat design

Dhow boat design

The organisers are building only eight stadiums for the one-month tournament and are promising to deliver the completed venues two years before the kick off.

Work is going on at a frenetic pace at the upcoming Al Wakrah Stadium. Inspired by the late British-Iraqi architect Dame Zaha Hadid, the design is inspired by the sails of traditional dhow boats - in tribute to Wakrah's past.

Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 11:31 [IST]
Other articles published on Feb 6, 2019