Hammam: Qatar 2022 will not be shared
Reuters - Saturday 29 January 2011, 10:41
DOHA - The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will
not be jointly hosted by other Gulf nations as requested by UEFA
head Michel Platini, AFC president Mohammed Bin Hammam told
reporters on Saturday.
Bin Hammam has often appeared frustrated when asked
questions about possibly moving the dates of the World Cup or
sharing matches and he again looked stern when saying the tiny
Gulf emirate would host matches alone.
"Qatar submitted a bid to organise the World Cup and it is
fair for Qatar to organise all the matches,' Bin Hammam told
reporters at the Khalifa Stadium.
"It has never been discussed that the matches should be
played in other countries as well. I do not think that any
country will be part of the competition in that respect."
Bin Hammam said that the surrounding regions would still
benefit from Qatar's hosting of the 2022 tournament.
"The impact of the World Cup is very huge. Of course the
biggest impact will be in Qatar, but the region will also
benefit.
"The region will benefit from tourists coming, it will
benefit economically, a lot of infrastructure will need to be
built. Football will be promoted in a huge way and I think the
legacy that football will be leaving in this reason will be
huge."
Platini, who has continually called for the first World Cup
to be held in the Middle East to be shared and moved to the
cooler winter months, will join Bin Hammam at the Asian Cup
final between Japan and Australia in Doha later on Saturday.
TERMS SET
Bin Hammam remains a popular figure throughout Asia and was
sworn in unchallenged for a third and final term as the head of
the AFC earlier this month.
The 61-year-old Qatari said it was important that maximum
terms were set to avoid complacency in the position.
"I'm afraid... our main aim is how to protect myself sitting
in the seat and not how we do for the future," Bin Hammam
answered when asked what were the dangers of having a president
sat in a role for too long.
"I have done a lot (in my eight years in charge of the
AFC)and someone else must come and take over with new ideas if I
want to stay more I will think how can I protect my position my
seat."
The comments could be seen as a dig at FIFA president Sepp
Blatter, 74, who is seeking a fourth term as the head of world
football in June.
The pair have endured a frosty relationship and Bin Hammam,
who continues to duck questions about possible running for the
presidency at the FIFA congress in June, again questioned the
way FIFA is being run under the Swiss' leadership.
"The people today are complaining a lot about how FIFA runs
its business. There are a lot of changes that have to be added
to the FIFA practices."
In what could also be seen as a slight dig at Blatter, Bin
Hammam laughed off a question on whether he wanted to be FIFA
president when the 2022 World Cup comes to his homeland.
"I'll be 73 then. I won't be in any key sporting positions
by 2022."