Positive feedback from fans proved sceptics wrong: al-Khater
The CEO of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 said that in the first week of the tournament the organisers sensed the extent of satisfaction and positive interaction from match-attending fans, whether citizens, residents, or foreigners
CEO of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Nasser al-Khater praised the festive atmosphere that Qatar is experiencing during its hosting of the World Cup. In his exclusive remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), alKhater said that during the first week of the tournament they sensed the extent of satisfaction and positive interaction from match-attending fans, whether citizens, residents, or foreigners.
He indicated that the large fan attendance at the stadiums during the matches held so far is emblematic of the huge success of the tournament. In addition to the ease of mobility, which is seen as a positive indicator during this World Cup edition - as there are no traffic congestions - as well as the smooth entry/exit at stadiums, which show positive indicators from an organisational point of view.
He said that across the country, especially in tourist areas like Souq Waqif, Msheireb, Corniche, Katara, and Lusail, everyone is living an enjoyable experience, describing the World Cup atmosphere as vibrant and full of excitement!
The CEO of FIFA World Cup Qatar pointed out that the firstround matches witnessed some surprises, such as the Saudi victory over Argentina and Japan’s over Germany. In this regard, he said, we are watching a high level of football, and we hope for the continuity of this success and that the tournament will be exceptional as promised.
He added that they have always said that their response to the sceptics of Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup will be on the ground, and indeed the response came through the exceptional hosting, which was acclaimed by everyone and forced the negative tone of Western media towards Qatar to change, through the presence of various media and reports in Doha and their positive response regarding Qatar and the level of organisation.
He pointed out that BrazilSerbia match of yesterday witnessed the largest fan attendance in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 so far, noting that there were a large number of other World Cup records, which is another indicator of success. The CEO explained that the announced World Cup stadiums’ capacity is in line with FIFA requirements, as the actual capacity of the stadiums exceed those numbers. He gave an example with Lusail Stadium’s capacity, saying it is 94,000 seats, but since some seats block the cameras’ vision, the capacity was reduced.
He added that there are other stadiums with an announced capacity of 40,000 spectators, but their actual capacity can reach 47,000. He also said that attendance varies from one match to the other and reaches a larger number of those announced before. Al-Khater concluded his statements to QNA by saying that they hope to meet fans’ expectations and that is their ultimate goal during this World Cup.