The Qatar body responsible for overseeing the preparations for and implementation of the 2022 World Cup has convened for the first time today, on the heels of a historic recommendation that the tournament be moved to the winter months.
During this morning’s meeting, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) presented the Tournament Operation Master Plan to FIFA and fielded questions about human rights concerns, stadium construction progress and of course, the new winter calendar.
Hassan Al Thawadi, CEO of the body, said today marked a shift from years of preparation and planning to “the delivery phase.” In a statement, he added:
“The first LOC board meeting is a symbol that this World Cup is not simply a concept for a tournament that will be held in the distant future. It is evidence that we are working every single day to deliver a unique tournament that will bring people in the Middle East together, while at the same time build bridges between East and West.”
Human rights
One of FIFA’s top executives was in attendance at the meeting, and said that he “expects” the same protections that cover those building World Cup stadiums and training facilities to be extended across Qatar’s construction sector.
For the past few years, the living and working conditions of migrant laborers in Qatar have become a target of criticism from human rights advocates and those who want to see the 2022 World Cup moved to another country.
At a press conference this morning at the Ritz-Carlton, FIFA secretary-general Jérôme Valcke said he had visited the Al Wakrah Stadium construction site, which was the first World Cup facility on which workers broke ground. It was also the focus of a Guardian newspaper report that found laborers on the site were paid as little as $308/month.
He said he also visited workers’ accommodations. He did not provide specific examples of what he observed, but said overall he was “very happy with what we have seen.”
However, Valcke conceded that what he witnesses may not be representative of the situation elsewhere in the country.
All companies working on World Cup stadiums and training facilities are obliged to follow a workers’ charter that sets minimum standards for recruiting, compensating and housing employees.
Its contents have been praised by human rights advocates, often with the caveat that its effectiveness rests with how strictly the measures will be enforced.
However, many observers note that the charter only covers a fraction of Qatar’s construction sector workforce and excludes, for example, those building the hotels and highways that are also necessary for the tournament.
Valcke picked up on that theme today:
“We are pleased to see the level of standards for the World Cup construction sites is higher than the average one. What we are expecting and hope is that these standards will become the benchmark (for) other construction sites (that) companies will use and adapt to make sure they provide to the workers these conditions.”
There are signs that Qatar is moving in this direction. Earlier this month, a human rights advocate said government officials told him that Qatar’s public works authority, Ashghal, was mulling its own workers’ charter.
Such a move would cover thousands of workers who are constructing Qatar’s new roads, highways, schools and hospitals.
‘We’re not destroying football’
Valcke appeared at the press conference alongside Thawadi, who explained that the LOC is effectively “FIFA’s representatives on the ground,” responsible for World Cup event and operational planning.
A separate organization, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, is responsible for constructing the stadiums and training facilities.
Yesterday, a FIFA task force meeting in Doha recommended moving the tournament from the traditional June/July months to November/December.
The news prompted an outcry among some critics who say shifting the days will disrupt the schedules of European football clubs.
When asked by several journalists if he felt European clubs deserved an apology or financial compensation, Valcke said no, continuing:
“We’re not destroying football. We are changing the format of the season. It is happening once … We are all making concessions to make sure this World Cup can be played in the best conditions.”
The decision to hold the tournament in the winter will not be officially made until next month, during a FIFA Executive Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, proposals have been floated to reduce the length of the tournament from its traditional 32-day schedule to 28 days of competition, ending with a final match on Dec. 23.
However, officials said today that final dates, as well how many stadiums that will be used, would not be confirmed until the end of this year.
When Qatar bid for the games, it proposed readying 12 stadiums for the World Cup. But Valcke said using a dozen stadiums was never seriously considered and that most host countries only use 10 stadiums.
Earlier today, Doha Stadium Plus reported that Qatar was leaning toward only using eight stadiums. So far, seven locations have been identified.
In addition to Al Wakrah, designs have been revealed for Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor, Khalifa International Stadium in the Aspire Zone and a new Qatar Foundation stadium in Education City.
Other announced plans include razing and rebuilding Al Rayyan Stadium as well as constructing new facilities near the airport and on the site of Qatar Sports Club in Dafna/West Bay.
Valcke spoke positively about the preparations underway for the tournament, saying players would benefit from the “compact” tournament that reduces the “stress of traveling” from one venue to another.
Cooling technology
When Qatar submitted its bid to host the World Cup, it proposed using advanced cooling technology to protect players and spectators from the country’s searing summer temperatures.
While the process remains a work in progress, local organizers demonstrated their early progress last year at a fan zone set up in Katara for local football fans to watch the World Cup taking place in Brazil.
Various strategies were employed to keep the seated areas cool, including “high level jet nozzles” and cooling mists.
Shifting the tournament to the winter reduces the need for cooling technology in the stadiums. Nevertheless, Al Thawadi said research would continue and that it would be one of the legacies of Qatar’s World Cup.
As an example, he said the technology could be used in greenhouses in Qatar, helping the country meet its food security goals.
Thoughts?
I would love to see the WC take place in the winter to set a precedent and allow it to be hosted by other hot countries, FIFA, UEFA, Richard Murdoch, Champions and Premier league can adapt I’m sure, time to add some stress and innovation into the mix. A question I have is two-fold, one if it doesn’t happen in the winter this time, what happens next (in regards to other hot applicant cities, or the flexibility of hosting times, and that sort of discussion); and is it inevitable / something FIFA can plan for or change for the future?
Hot, not hot, cold, north, south, east west. I think its about time that a sport that bills itself as being global truly becomes that. Otherwise its just the Premier League and who cares. The arguments about Qatar not being able to fill hotels, or sell seats seems to not account for the 2 billion Muslims in the world, of which I am sure a few like football and are not interested in partying. The Saudis alone will probably buy enough seats to fill the stadiums. So the idea that Qatar has to somehow turn into Amsterdam to successfully host this thing is really a perspective that doesn’t take all components into the mix. I mean, when people say that Europeans will not show up, do you think that someone in the committee thinks….well we must change that? Or do you think they have a better idea on who to market this to then you give them credit for, or want to. For most of the local and regional fans its about the event and seeing the players more than one particular country or team. Wait and see, it will all be just fine. I think your absolutely correct, and this could set a decent precedent for future events.
I’d love to see Qatar succeed here, I mean really. I like this country, but I just cannot see how and when they are going to turn this from a massive negative into a positive.
So far, the reaction to Qatar hosting 2022 has been overwhelmingly negative. I’m not saying that’s right or fair, but that’s the way it’s been. Has anyone seen much positive comment surrounding this?
The only thing it’s brought them so far is scorn, ridicule, incredulity and anger. There have been no recorded cases of:
‘Hallelujah! World Cup in Qatar? Pack my g-string, Margaret. 2 weeks in the sun!’
If Qatar are hosting the World Cup to improve their standing on the international stage, they’d better ask for their money back.
Western media will change their opinion once they realize there are no alternatives to Qatar 2022.
Let us hope it goes well. But if Skokie is any guide, the Western media will not let up until maybe after the actual games start. Indeed during 2022 they are likely to gin up interest among people from a variety of rights groups and subcultures to come to Qatar for the WC to make a statement about a smorgasbord of issue areas. I think people here have no sense of the magnitude and persistence of such activist groups and the government will be faced with either looking the other way (and angering their own public) or cracking down (and angering the international community). In Skokie the locals accepted this diversity and it wasn’t a big problem in practice. I doubt that will be the case here unless a great deal changes culturally between now and 2022.
What is a Skokie?
Sochi?
Ah. I thought that the town in the US state of Illinois had had some sort of sporting event that I missed.
I thought it was a commenter for a while who had said something
It’s starting to look like the Russian Winter Olympics now. The media wanted so desperately for it to fail, and took such great delight in pointing out every tiny slip up on the part of the organizing committee.
And when they weren’t busy ridiculing errors and cut corners, they spent the rest of their time ridiculing the huge amounts of money spent by Russia to try and make the event a success, to the point where we all came to accept (and mock) the idea that Russia blew $50 billion on the event, although this number is number is not universally accepted.
It seemed no matter what Russia did would appease the media.
So you are in effect,admitting that this will be a world cup for the richie rich khaleeji boys,so the world’s best footballers can put on a show,THE show,for them simply because they can afford it? Hence the uber luxurious 5-star deluxe properties springing up or in the pipeline around the country. Because really,who gives a toss about the average European, African or South American fan who has probably been saving up for years to go watch THEIR team play at the World Cup and hopes THEIR team goes the distance and who will just about be able to afford the flight ticket & a spot at the campsite or a bed at the hostel/dorm for the length of the tournament,right? Oh wait,there aren’t going to be any campsites or hostels are there? Because richie rich khaleeji boys will be flying 1st class and staying 5-star right?! Football is THE PEOPLE’S game,not a select few with fat bank balances, but THE PEOPLE,you know,your average Joe who works hard & saves up to be able to travel to and watch his/her national team compete on the world’s biggest stage. Now think of the flip side, a significant number of football fans from this part of the world can well afford to travel to a World Cup anywhere on the planet and anyways they would be going purely for the entertainment, there is no national pride involved because their national teams never qualify. Will that change by 2022? Quite possibly,but as things stand,they’re not good enough.
Airbnb, couch surfing, uber, whatever has displaced those three in the next 7 years… I don’t think ticket prices are going to be that much different than other major events? Anyone?
I suppose then THE PEOPLE that live in India or Pakistan or Saudi or UAE or Oman or Egypt or Ethiopia or Kenya – or name a place that is not in Europe, should have to save 10 times as much to fly to Australia or the UK or the USA to go see their national team lose in the first round? Some great thinking of who are THE PEOPLE. I guess if you mean THE PEOPLE as the average WHITE GUY from Leeds that wants to see THEIR team play and drink enough warm beer as to vomit into the crowds, I could see your exceptionally racist point. Maybe, just maybe, their might be people that don’t live in your neck of the woods that should have the opportunity to go to an event like this without having to spend, not just a bit of savings from their share of the dole, but their entire life savings just for a plane ticket to be there. That is the AVERAGE JOE outside of the European Nanny State.
Do you see many of the people that you have mentioned coming to Qatar?
You would be amazed to see how many are already here. So these people have families, friends, etc. If the travel is less of an issue, as in a shorter, cheaper flight than say 12 hours to Europe or 32 to South America, yes. Or take Africa, did one think that only people from Suffolk and Mannheim were attending? One could have said the same of people from Argentina or Uruguay, but yet there they were, even from poor countries, staying in Brazil during the world cup, which was not at all cheap. So yes, its easy to see it. They may not be commenting on Doha News, but I think most people will be surprised to see that the brown people might outnumber the white people, as they have at the last 2 world cup events. And that is alright in my book. In fact, I would not put it past the Qataris to offer free flights, tickets, and accommodations to those that are less privileged, and not as a way to sell seats either. I think many people really underestimate the hospitality and generosity that the citizens here are capable of as it gets lost in all the other things that are out of alignment with western ideology, such as pay/conditions for workers etc. Before the bandwagon jumps on me here, I will qualify that with the assertion that I don’t agree with those policies, and I think it actually drives the construction costs up by ensuring that only low skilled labor is used (increases error, production time, and reduces efficiencies). But to answer your question, yes I do think they will. There may be less people from Europe, but think on this, most of the stadiums are going to seat less than 50,000 people, with the exception of the ones designated for the final matches, which will be in the 60,000 range. It really is not beyond reason that they could easily fill these with people from around the world.
From the above mentioned countries, citizens of India, Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya are not allowed to enter Qatar without a valid visa. Maybe the biggest fan numbers will be from GCC. I have a feeling the GCC government offices will remain closed during this time.
I suppose you think it is easier for those Africans to get into USA or Europe? I lived there for years and it is only in Qatar that my family was able to visit me. Getting a visa to the USA or Europe is as hard as getting the proverbial camel to go through the eye of a needle. I already see my fellow citizens traveling to Oman, Dubai, A. Dhabi etc for business and pleasure quite a bit. If you were to take a vote, I bet most would vote for a Qatar W.C.
Inaccuracies,to put it mildly,on multiple points. Football isn’t big in South Asia,as a result,teams from India,Pakistan,etc. don’t qualify,cricket is their sport & that world cup is on down under as we speak,to which I’m sure many hard-working South Asians have saved up for a fair while to go see their national team possibly lift the World Cup. The football World Cup was held in South Africa before Brazil last time around,allowing people from the African continent to participate & yes there were hostels,dormitories,etc. to cater to the fans who couldn’t afford hotels. If the ‘white guy’ from Leeds wants to gets pissed & see his team play,that is his right to do so. There is hardly enough to be earned on the dole to be able to save up to go to a football world cup anywhere on the planet,that is the reality of the world we live in. You clearly missed or have deliberately chosen to avoid the part where I mentioned “European,African & South American fan” & have cherry picked instead to conclude that I was in fact referring to a “WHITE GUY from Leeds”?! Quite clearly,you seem to have missed my point completely so if I may clarify, I have absolutely nothing against the World Cup being held in the geographic region of the Middle East come 2022,what I do however object to is the knowledge that this particular edition of the World Cup is shaping up to be one of those exclusive,richie rich 5-star,first class only style tournaments,which completely goes against the very ethos of the people’s game. This is football,not golf or polo. It is & should be affordable for EVERYONE & by everyone I literally mean EVERYONE.
Largest football stadium in INDIA has a capacity of 120,000. Seems to me that’s a pretty popular sport. But your opinion counts as fact, so call it inaccurate. There are literally millions more football fans in one country in South Asia than the population of some European states. One can easily us the Internet to discover such things. As to Visa rules, you think they might relax them.during the tournament? Trust me it will happen.
A capacity of 120,000,in a country pushing close to 2 billion in population. Numbers as always are relative! India,Current World Cup holders in cricket (have won it before,twice if I’m not mistaken).Does the name Sachin Tendulkar ring a bell? Reportedly the greatest EVER cricketer in the history of the game,has broken & holds pretty much every record there is to be held & be broken in the game,any guesses as to where he’s from? India current FIFA ranking,171,in a chart comprising 209 countries. Cricket isn’t a sport,it’s a religion in that country & with good reason,they’re bloody good at it! Sure there are a few hundred thousand EPL & La Liga fans in the country,mostly concentrated in the large cities but what’s a few hundred thousand out of a population of almost 2 billion? Not a lot,I dare say. “using the interent” can only get one so far! As for visa rules,I have not once mentioned they would be an issue anyways! A visa allows one into the country,it doesn’t pay for the room at the 5 star hotel or the 25 riyal cup of coffee!
And let’s not forget that the number of Africans who can actually get visas to travel to the World Cup in the Middle East is much higher than those who can get visas to travel to Europe or the USA. Yes, the middle class in Africa has been expanding every year especially for the last 10 years but how many of them would actually be allowed into the West? For the first time since S.A., people back home are actually talking about seeing another W.C. The world does not rotate around the West.
The world rotates on it’s own axis,at least that’s what I was taught in school! It rotates neither around the West nor around Africa! If I were you, my concern would be how those middle class fans,African or otherwise, will be able to afford the ridiculously priced star hotel accommodation!
Qatar does have a variety of hotels, you may not be aware of them. They also planned on using Cruise ships for temporary hotels, and you can imagine they might even have some other options available in 7 years.
A variety of hotels that cost an arm and a leg and many more coming up that also cost an arm and a leg! The ”variety” you’re referring to are mostly the handful of properties in the old museum area,plus a couple more in the souq area & a few odd ones in residential suburbs around the city with a few thousand odd rooms between them at best,enough to accommodate the million plus visiting football fans?! Cruise ships eh?! Because the very word ”cruise ship” brings to mind affordable,bed & breakfast style accommodation right?! A cruise ship is a 5 star,just one that is floating on water! As for imagination,the human imagination has no limits,so what affordable options they MAY have in 7 years time is anyone’s guess! Smaller,intimate,cheaper accommodation is a lot harder to simply plant & run unlike a 5 star brand. It comes with the culture & environment of a city that is open & accepting of such type of accommodation,a little mom & pop establishment with a few rooms & home cooking,with REAL character,NOT a cookie cutter 5-star brand,with accommodation & dining options no different or better than at the same brand anywhere else on the planet. I trust you catch my drift here,it is about a LOT more than just having millions in oil wealth available to spend,it is about changing a mindset,changing the current ”VIP” culture that exists & if evidence currently on the ground is anything to go by,that change seems highly unlikely. Yes I could imagine that mindset & attitude might change but it doesn’t seem likely so I’ll stick with ground realities for now!
Don’t be too literal. Any literature classes?
I like it. Let it succeed, maybe it’ll be better in some ways, maybe more challenging in others, we can’t predict the future, but repeatedly doing things the same way and achieving moderate success leads to complacency, reliability, essentially what it leads to is the color beige. Efficiencies have been gained, processes nailed down, the world cup is established, it’s routine, it’s a clock, it’s a show, risk is minimised and little else is explored. If this fails, or parts of it fail, it’s not a bad thing, and I’m sure ongoing introspection and experimentation are part of it, why wouldn’t it be, essentially FIFA outsources the risk to an eager, up and coming nation. Flip it around, the growing pains being experienced here with labor issues, rights, contracts and whatever else, are getting a push and their day in the sun, essentially a ten year platform for airing out social issues, change is slow and it’s uncomfortable, but it’s not stagnant. The more FIFA and football risk, the more resilient the game and the tournament become. The game remains intact, and at the end of the day, if they don’t innovate, they’re gonna be taken down by someone who can, just look at the XFL…oh wait bad example.
great comment
I’m with you.I think the winter concept is good.I am in favour of sticking it to Fox,the European leagues and whoever else says their way is the only way.I am sure there will be sufficient ways for over the top fans to abuse their bodies in one way or another and finally I hope Sepp Bladder has been reassigned to some FIFA post in the Arctic somewhere by 2022.
Doesn’t it seem like the master plan should have had to be presented as part of the bidding process?
A bit of a Pinky and the Brain headline, I think it’s signifying a transition from planning to implementing…. “Enter your headline here”
You would not prepare a master plan in the bidding process, that is only a proposal. The true plan is how you intend to execute that proposal. There is a night and day difference between the two.
Interesting, I didn’t know that. Thanks for clarifying!
Fifa: “So, let’s see the plan in detail’
Qatar: ‘Before we get to that, look how big these bags of money are….’
the whole system is bogus just doing something good to cover up previous misdeeds is worse than doing it in the first time.
Mulling over the workers’ charter.Still mulling over the workers’ charter Of course they are.
And the QF stadium looks great – but where is the footbridge so that Education City folk can cycle to and from work? Now there’s an idea.
Don’t be so negative they have more important things to do first
The ‘taskforce’, conveniently portrayed as a democratic means of giving different parties in the game a voice, seemed like a stitch-up, with the November/December solution decided upon months ago.
They will point to Valcke’s claim that “we did what we had to do” over the recent decision to suddenly award US TV giant Fox the rights to the 2026 World Cup (especially valuable as it will probably be staged in the United States), as a tacit admission that is was designed to placate the network.
Another example of an organisation making it up as it goes along. (Fox was known to be unhappy that its rights to what it thought was a summer World Cup had suddenly become a winter one.)
It does not seem to matter to Fifa that rival networks ESPN and NBC may have wanted to bid, or that more money could have been generated for the good of the sport had a proper auction been held. As ever, it seemed, Fifa was looking after itself.
The governing body has now completed football’s ultimate U-turn and yet again shifted the goalposts to get itself out of a deep, dark hole.
Many would have welcomed Qatar’s chance to host the World Cup – had it bid for a winter tournament…. But it did not. Many would have accepted Fifa voting for Qatar had it done so for honourable reasons rather than greed. But it did not.
Quite right. There are many people, including here on this thread, who are pointing out some of the merits of a Winter World Cup, and there are merits to it. It’s great to take the tournament to new locations, to let it truly be a “World” Cup.
But if it is NOW so obvious that summer was too hot (as so many said even before the bid had been lodged) then you can only come to the conclusion that Qatar’s bid was for a winter event, and FIFA awarded it to Qatar on that basis. And if that’s the case, why didn’t Qatar just bid for a winter event from day one, instead of all the hooplah about cooling technologies that have been ‘proven’?
And on another note – I don’t think this is “FIFA… looking after itself”, it’s the ExCo members lining their own pockets.
The Fox issue will have cost FIFA hundreds of millions of dollars through lost revenue in selling broadcast rights for 2026.
And this morning The Times in the UK are now reporting that FIFA is setting aside a record $200 MILLION to use as additional cash to be distributed to clubs as compensation for the disruption to the winter season. FIFA is now hemorrhaging cash (and sponsors) at an alarming rate, all because of decisions taken by Blatter and his cronies.
This will be a very expensive world cup, and that’s including any of the money Qatar will spend on stadiums and infrastructure.
The workers charter has been “…been praised by human rights advocates..”? Sorry but could you provide more detail on that? I don’t remember that at all. I seem to remember their main concern being that people should be free to leave the country should they choose to do so.
To be honest I’d rather watch the premier league than a WC. WC are not that good anymore and just smothered in the excrement of corruption.
As long as the 2022 World Cup will bring about good changes, especially in improving worker’s conditions, this is good enough for me.
Its good that Qatar has managed to shift the dates for the world cup for a cooler winter world cup. Honestly, there was no other way except this. The summer would have been treacherous for both the players and the fans. I am truly happy that common sense has prevailed.
Qatar is hosting this world cup to boost its image as a sporting nation. The intention is good but the approach is not. Already, a lot of time is lost. I would certainly hope that all the projects, stadiums & support, are in place by 2021. For that to happen, all the citizens of this country have to rise up to the occasion. The locals will have to stop the bad/ slow decision making which is a inheritance here. The worker rights will have to be looked at more openly and honestly. The employers will have to respect their staff as collaborators. Till these issues are not solved, I foresee a large group of people who will not have the motivation to make this happen. We have the next five years for the development, but a lot of projects are yet to be unveiled. The average project timelines here are almost double than other countries, because of the reasons mentioned above. To have the world cup, you just don’t need fans. They will arrive from where-ever, but the stadiums, metro, infrastructure, hotels, etc have to be in place to receive them.
Money can buy votes from FIFA, but you need a common cause to DELIVER.
I would love to know who will use all this stuff once the wc is over. When the construction is over surely the population will fall significantly.
I love this word, “mulling” :))