Qatar’s original World Cup bid should have stated that the tournament would be played in the winter and be shared with other countries in the region, a FIFA presidential contender has said.
Speaking in London this week, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan told an audience at The Royal Institute of International Affairs that a bid of that nature would have been “more feasible.”
“With World Cups you should have the ability to spread it around the region. Qatar should have bid for the winter in the first place and that it hosts it regionally with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which would be more feasible and easier to organize,” the Press Association quotes him as saying.
Al Hussein is now putting his hat in the ring for FIFA president a second time. He ran earlier this year against Blatter, but withdrew after his opponent’s victory seemed imminent.
Although Prince Ali had the support of many football organizations in Europe during this year’s vote, officials in Qatar backed Sepp Blatter in the election.Â
Days after his win, Blatter announced he would resign from his fifth term as head of the world’s football governing body after a corruption scandal rocked the organization.
The election for the new president will take place on Feb. 26, 2016.
Qatar bid
Though Prince Ali has previously spoken positively of Qatar’s World Cup bid, his recent remarks about the tournament venue and timeline appear less supportive.
The comments come after FIFA has already decided that the 2022 World Cup will be played in Qatar in the winter months, despite Qatar’s original bid to host the tournament in June and July.
Meanwhile, Qatar has steadfastly remained against the idea of sharing hosting privileges with neighboring countries, saying among others things that it would be inconvenient for fans to have to travel so much to attend matches.
Whether Prince Ali gets Qatar and other Arab countries’ backing during this next presidential bid remains in question.
He is no doubt hoping that his previous backers will remain loyal when they cast their votes in February, but there are signs that some European voters may be switching their allegiances.
In an interview with the BBC, head of Romanian football Razvan Burleanu said he will likely support UEFA President Michel Platini in the forthcoming election, despite voting for Prince Ali in May.
Burleanu told the BBC’s World Football program:
“Taking into consideration that the Asian confederation already announced political support for Platini, I don’t want to say that it is a mistake but politically, it’s not a good step.
I don’t know how many votes he is expecting from other confederations, but from Europe, I’m expecting it to be very, very difficult for him.”
At the moment, three other men – UEFA President Michel Platini, former Fifa executive Chung Mong-joon of South Korea and Liberian FA president Musa Bility – will also likely put themselves forward for the FIFA presidential post.
Thoughts?
And how this strategy will lead the prince to win the FIFA presidency?!
Hmmm, it does show that he has a grasp on reality and is willing to make a break from the mistakes of the past. Some groups will be more willing to support him if he acknowledges the error of the Qatar bid.
I’d like to think that he was sincere in his comments, but as DN states this is a volte face from his previous position. Cynics might say that he has suddenly adopted this more critical stance on Qatar’s bid in order to court the favour of the Europe associations in his bid for the presidency.
Exactly, he is just a less charismatic, younger, Arabian Sepp Blatter.
Less charismatic than Blatter, true that, but the voting members are less interested in charms, more so in the secret deposits to their private Swiss bank accounts.
i think you really don’t know what you talking about, what about talking about fage3?
What an idiotic proposal that Qatar should have ‘shared’ the World Cup with Bahrain and UAE. Still, out of all the candidates, he’d be the most lenient towards Qatar.
Well you know how Arabs are nice to each other’s away from bjectivity, the head of Asian football asociation is from Bahrain and a sheik from the emirates is married to the prince’s sister!
Yep, we all know who’s funding his campaign.
Why idiotic? Japan and Korea cohosted in 2002 did they not? Logistically and financially it is a good idea but if one if the main reasons for bidding in the first place was to put Qatar on the map then cohosting would most likely not be agreed to.
A shared proposal would have been better and its not unprecedented. But hindsight is 20/20, so very easy to say that now.
Maybe the time of the bid was one of the many occasions on which these countries have recalled their ambassadors from one another, so they had no way to coordinate.
Lol. Sorry, this wasn’t criticism. This was an idea that he suggested.
Why are you trying to stir up conflicts in opinion DN? This was such a misleading title. He never said anything that went against the country’s bid.
I mean for God’s sake Jordan’s king openly said that Qatar’s win for 2022 was, and I quote, “an achievement for all Arabs” (source: http://www.qna.org.qa/en-us/StateOfQatar/Qatar2022/SaidAbout)
Furthermore, Qatar has openly stated, time and time again, “We are ready for the summer or the winter.”
DN, lately, you’ve been taking such a strong stance against Qatar it’s getting ludicrous. You have stated that you are for transparency. I’m sorry, this isn’t transparency, this is propaganda aimed to stir up relations. Stop making things worse and start making them better.
Prince Ali seem to have said the right thing (which makes sense), but at the wrong time, wrong place. He should have declare this stand before/ during the FIFA presidential election campain, which might/could have made a complete turn around of the current scenario.
You again. Get a life and get another name, or are you so brainless you can’t think of an original name by yourself?
Haha this is funny. Your alter ego is back 🙂 :p
Not so much an alter-ego more an irritating rash. Maybe I should be flattered – but I’m not. I just think it’s childish.
Maybe DN is trying to it’s credit, to put a balanced view forward? As for Qatar being ready for a summer World Cup, I don’t think anyone ever believed that Qatar planned Together with FIFA)anything but a winter WC – and certainly nobody who has ever been to a WC and experienced summer in Qatar believed it.
The headline did not say Prince Ali was against Qatar’s bid, it states that he criticized it, which he did, by suggesting Qatar should have done it a different way.
I am not sure what you mean by strong stance against Qatar, as we have no agenda but to keep people informed. Please feel free to email [email protected] (not com) to discuss further.
US and Europe backed him last time around – this time Platini will receive their backing and with the Asian confederation backing Platini, Ali might as well give up the race.
Arabs showing again they are united in their disunity
& if he supported Qatar ” Arabs supporting one another ” . so its not really a valid point your making here.
Lol so true! As well as allegations that he was paid off.
his comments should matter here, not his ethnicity, else we would have people saying, “Asian league supporting other Asian members , east against west, etc .its football ppl. let it be just that
I agree with him although i would prefer to have seen the WC shared in other places, Yemen, Libya and Syria for example..would make it far more interesting . . .
Russia & Ukraine for 2018 ??
If Russia were a tiny country with 6,500 registered football players, no WC-ready football pitches, no football tradition, restrictive laws and 50+ deg C summers, why not?
Russia is hosting 2018 , are you even aware what goes around in the world or you only like to troll around DN .
Really can’t help but sing this (clears throat)
Prince Ali – mighty is he – Ali Ababwa
Strong as ten regular men definitely
He faced the galloping hordes!
A hundred bad guys with swords!
Who sent those goons to their lords?
Why- Prince Ali!
News about Qatar 2022 bid isn’t exciting anymore, I am resigned to the fact that they will keep it, it will probably be a fiasco but at least it will be entertaining news 🙂
say pepsi!