'2022 World Cup Will Lead to the Global Growth of Football'
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NFL | Page 8 MMOTORSPORTOTORSPORT | Page 11 Brady leads Formula One Patriots to returns to To Advertise here victory over France aft er Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 the Rams 10-year gap Tuesday, December 6, 2016 SPOTLIGHT Rabia I 7, 1438 AH Attacks on Qatar GULF TIMES 2022 malicious, says Nasser al-Khater SPORT Page 2 SPOTLIGHT ‘2022 World Cup will lead to the global growth of football’ Supreme Committee chief Hassan al-Thawadi addresses Soccerex Asian Forum in Doha By Abilash Nalapat “Now we are living in an www.sc.qa age of many football markets outside Europe developing their own leagues and owning he Secretary General of the clubs in Europe” Supreme Committee for De- livery & Legacy (SC), Has- Al-Khater said sustainability is also Tsan al-Thawadi, has said that the guiding principle in the construc- Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World tion of the stadiums for 2022. “We Cup will be a catalyst for the global de- are not merely building stadiums but velopment of football. scripting well-researched legacy plans Kicking off the Soccerex Asian Fo- into the designs of every single stadi- rum 2016 in Doha, al-Thawadi said the um and precinct,” he told the delegates fi rst ever World Cup in the Middle East gathered in Doha. and the second in Asia will accelerate “There have been instances of some the development of emerging football World Cup stadiums not having been territories in accordance with the vi- used following the event. However, sion of Soccerex founder, the late Dun- Qatar will be diff erent. We have con- can Revie. sulted with local communities and He said: “Duncan had the fore- have built precincts with amenities sight and vision in the 1990s to form such as schools. Soccerex, an event which has been at “We are also building modular seat- the forefront during the process of ing in stadiums which can be disman- the globalisation of football which tled after the tournament so that we started during that decade in Eng- need not be saddled with white el- land.” ephants. Some stadiums will be fully He continued: “Now we are liv- dismantled and re-used after the tour- ing in an age of many football markets nament.” outside Europe developing their own Al-Khater noted he is happy with leagues and owning clubs in Europe. the progress in the eight 2022 pro- The hosting of the World Cup in Qatar posed host venues that are under vari- in 2022 will accelerate the global devel- ous stages of construction. “We are opment of football.” ahead of schedule in all eight venues,” Al-Thawadi said that he has fond he said adding that it would be an ideal memories of the SC’s involvement number for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in previous editions of Soccerex and Qatar. hoped delegates of the 2016 Asian fo- However, al-Khater added the SC rum will be able to reap the benefi ts of would be guided by the views of FIFA the sport networking event. about the fi nal stadium count for the After the opening remarks, the SC historic event. Secretary General presented the inau- In the afternoon session, Spain gural Duncan Revie Award to Richard and Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez Tims, Chairman of Sheffi eld FC. talked about his experiences work- In the first panel session of the ing with the SC’s Generation Amaz- day, SC Assistant Secretary General ing programme after his recent visit to for Tournament Affairs, Nasser al- Supreme Committee Secretary-General Hassan al-Thawadi speaking at the Soccerex Asian Forum in Doha yesterday. Jordan to meet and inspire children in Khater, said that Qatar is on course a refugee camp there. He later engaged towards fast-tracking social, eco- country’s 2030 National Vision. and our human, social, environmen- the country and the region,” said al- sustainable growth and projects such in a football freestyling session with nomic and environmental change “The World Cup is a catalyst to ac- tal and technological initiatives built Khater. as Generation Amazing and Chal- renowned freestyler Sean Garnier, who through the hosting of the 2022 FIFA celerate the emergence of Qatar as a around the hosting of the World Cup He added: “The idea was to look at lenge 22 have been successful en- also works with the Generation Amaz- World Cup Qata in line with the knowledge-based economy by 2030 have proven to be very successful in a multi-pronged approach towards deavours.” ing programme. BOTTOMLINE Blatter suff ers one last defeat over FIFA misconduct AFP led to the downfall of both men. Platini had been sion has been reduced from eight years to six and Lausanne expected to take over from Blatter, but has also Platini from eight to four years. seen multiple appeals rejected by tribunals and French football legend Platini has taken a case courts. to the Swiss courts and Blatter could have done port’s highest court yesterday rejected Blatter could face more trouble as he remains the same. But the civil courts are reluctant to get the appeal of former FIFA president Sepp under investigation by Swiss prosecutors over involved in international disputes, according to Blatter against a six year ban signalling the payment and for the way in which the 2018 experts, and Blatter has decided against that op- Sthe end of his eff orts to clear his name. and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and tion. The 80-year-old former football powerbro- Qatar, respectively. FIFA and UEFA meanwhile have launched ker was ousted over a 2mn Swiss franc ($2mn) Blatter and Platini said they had an “oral con- campaigns to cleanse their tainted images under payment to UEFA boss Michel Platini which the tract” for the payment. This was fi rmly dismissed new leaders who have promised reform. Court of Arbitration for Sport called an “undue by the CAS which also said Blatter must pay a FIFA is now led by Gianni Infantino who has gift” that could not be justifi ed. 50,000 Swiss franc fi ne. embarked on major changes at the world football Blatter called the verdict “incomprehensible” The tribunal ruled that a written employment body including replacing many staff employed in but also acknowledged that he has come to the contract established between Platini and FIFA in the Blatter era. end of the road in his fi ght to clear his name. 1999 voided any oral agreement concluded be- FIFA said only that it had “taken note” of the “I will not be appealing in a Swiss court,” he tween Blatter and Platini in 1998 allowing for a CAS verdict. told AFP, turning his back on what would have 1mn Swiss franc a year salary. Aleksander Ceferin has taken over at UEFA been his last legal recourse. “Accordingly, by approving a payment of 2mn also promising a new era of transparency. Earlier, however, he maintained that guilt had Swiss francs to Mr Platini in 2011 for the balance The air of corruption has not completely not been proven. of work carried out under the alleged oral agree- cleared however. “It is diffi cult to follow it, because the principle ment, Mr Blatter breached the FIFA code of eth- More details of the commercial underbelly of of jurisdiction — culpability has to be proven by ics.” sport are expected when US courts start sentenc- prosecution — was not applied,” Blatter said in a It said “the payment amounted to an undue ing 39 football and marketing offi cials accused of statement. gift as it had no contractual basis. involvement in more than $200mn of bribes for “Nevertheless I look back with gratitude to all “The panel further found that Mr Blatter un- television and other commercial contracts. the years, in which I was able to realise my ideals lawfully awarded contributions to Mr Platini Blatter’s air of invincibility ended when Swiss for football and serve FIFA,” added the Swiss of- under the FIFA executive committee retirement police raided a Zurich hotel in May 2015 to detain fi cial widely condemned by critics during his 18 scheme which also amounted to an undue gift.” seven FIFA offi cials who are now among the de- years as head of the world football body. Blatter, who still uses his FIFA limousine, and fendants in the United States. The arrests came The payment made to Platini in 2011 for work Platini have now both had all appeals rejected by on the eve of his reelection as FIFA president and carried out a decade earlier without any contract Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter FIFA’s ethics court and CAS. Blatter’s suspen- he was suspended months later. Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, December 6, 2016 FOOTBALL COMMENT Qatar 2022 attacks ‘malicious’: Al-Khater AFP “We were under a lot of criti- of using “forced labour” at one Doha cism we were under, I would say, World Cup site. malicious and unwarranted at- Qatar has tried to counter tacks.” such claims by saying it is in the atar’s much-criticised Since being controversially process of bringing in signifi cant 2022 World Cup has chosen to host football’s biggest labour reforms. been the victim of event almost exactly six years Later this month, the gas-rich “malicious and un- ago, Qatar has received a barrage state is expected to announce the Qwarranted attacks”, a senior of international criticism. end of its controversial “kafala” tournament offi cial in the Gulf These have mostly focused laws, which place restrictions on said yesterday. on corruption allegations to se- workers’ ability to change jobs Nasser al-Khater, assistant cure the tournament in the fi rst and travel.