QATAR’S NEW STADIUM COMES TO LIFE
Al Janoub Stadium proves country is ready to host World Cup
THREE years before the 2022 World Cup kicks off, host Qatar unveiled the first of its seven purposebuilt new stadiums on Thursday amid a grand ceremony.
Excited fans packed the 40,000 capacity US$575 million (RM2.4 million) Al Janoub Stadium, which resembles the sail of a dhow, a Middle East traditional wooden sailboat.
Al Janoub, with a distinctive retractable roof, is a fully air-conditioned stadium equipped to keep its temperatures 10 degrees lower than the 29 Celsius outside.
Spectacular pyrotechnic displays illuminated the inauguration ceremony of the stadium, which was designed by the late BritishIraqi architect Zaha Hadid.
Previously called Al Wakrah after a coastal town south of Doha, the venue was renamed Al Janoub Stadium, meaning “stadium of the south” by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani on Thursday.
Al Janoub Stadium project manager Thani Al Zarraa said Al Janoub Stadium is the most southern venue of the 2022 World Cup.
Thani said, Qatar which is the first Arab country to win hosting rights for the World Cup, is more than ready to host football’s greatest show.
He said Qatar wants to prove that it is capable of building World Cup infrastructure with the inauguration of a second venue with the first being the Khalifa International Stadium in 2017.
“It’s not just for the sake of building but also the legacy in the designs and we have a lot of facilities that is usable and sustainable for the local Warkah community,” he said.
The Emir Cup final (a local tournament for Qatar’s club sides) between Al Sadd and defending champions Al Duhail, was held in conjunction with the World Cup venue inauguration.
But for 39-year-old Spanish legend, Xavi Hernandez, his farewell match did not have a happy ending when his team, 16-time Emir Cup champions Al Sadd lost 4-1 to Al Duhail.