Doha, June 15 (QNA) - The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), responsible for the planning, operational and infrastructure projects that are considered essential for the state of Qatar to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, held today a special event for the Saudi fan leaders within the Qatar Fan Leader Network, within the framework of the promotional programs of the upcoming tournament.
The event was dedicated to getting them familiarized with the Education City Stadium, one of the tournament stadiums, in addition to the organizational procedures during the tournament event.
The special Mondial event was set to identify the key facilities and utilities in Education City Stadium which was the third stadium announced by SC to host world cup tournament after Khalifa International Stadium whose upgrading works have been completed in 2017, Al Janoub Stadium which is one of the first stadium to be fully constructed to host the anticipated Mondial tournaments.
Education City Stadium will host one of the Saudi national teams during the world cup tournament, specifically the team's confrontation with Poland, and the stadium will also witness some group stage matches, including the quarter-final stage of the tournament competitions.
The participants were acquainted with the World Cup stadium and experienced the exceptional atmosphere of the World Cup ahead of the global event in the historic Qatar World Cup. They got familiarized with the various facilities and stands for the fans in the World Cup stadium, as well as the quality of the grass for the ground of the stadium, which is characterized by high quality according to special international standards.
Education City Stadium Manager Ali Al-Dossary presented detailed explanations for the attendants about the stadium which can accommodate about 40,000 seats, and the capacity of seats will be reduced from 40,000 to 20,000 after the tournament after donating half of the seats to build stadiums in developing countries that lack sports infrastructure in the context of supporting, sponsoring and encouraging football worldwide. In addition, one of the most prominent features of the stadium is its design inspiration from the rich history of Islamic architecture mixed with modernity, as it is considered the jewel of the desert in Qatar, its façade is adorned with triangles that form exquisite and intricate diamond-shaped geometric patterns that change color with the movement of the sun in the sky.
SC in partnership with Qatar Football Association launched an initiative of fans leaders in the framework of their efforts to ensure an exceptional experience during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The Network includes a host of football enthusiasts from all around the world, who will share with the fans in their countries basic information about Qatar and the World Cup, with the aim of boosting the enthusiasm of the public for the activities of the first edition of the World Cup, which is being held for the first time in the Arab world and the Middle East.
Qatar 2022 ambassador Nawaf Al-Temyat expressed his pleasure in special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) for attending the event of Saudi fan leaders in his capacity as one of FIFA Ambassadors and SC for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and for his presence with the Saudi fans association and leaders to closely familiarize themselves with the Education City World Cup stadium, and to get acquainted with the existing huge and distinctive capabilities in the stadium and in all stadiums that are set to host the World Cup, pointing out that the presence of Saudi fans will certainly have significant and special role thanks to the proximity of distances and ease of movement between the two countries, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and subsequently the presence of Saudi fans will be intense and strong in the World Cup competitions.
Regarding the stadium and the potentials the capabilities that it contains, he indicated that the stadium has enormous facilities and capabilities that surpass the most prominent stadiums in the world, and it has participated in three World Cups and followed up on numerous shortcomings in the stadiums, or rather defects in the stadiums of the countries that hosted the tournament before, in addition to the difficulty of movement and other details, particularly some poor stadium pitches, but today Qatar is presenting this wonderful stadium, adding that every World Cup stadium in Qatar is a story, this one is considered the best stadium for the beauty and splendor of all stadiums.
He congratulated the brothers in Qatar for the work they have accomplished, including the great achievement, empowerment and capabilities. He pointed out that he has participated today in the inauguration and announcement of the official logo emblem and poster for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at Doha International Airport, stressing the magnificence of the building that tells the story of empowering Qatari capabilities and giving them the opportunity to work and achieve goals, expressing his optimism in the green color that covers the stands and the stadium building, considering it a good omen for the Saudi national team.
For his part, Director of the Ambassadors Program at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Faisal Khalid said in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) that they were happy with the presence of Saudi fan leaders in Qatar at the Education City Stadium. The stadium will host Saudi Arabia's second match against Poland. He said the fans got to know about the stadium's facilities during the visit.
Regarding the attendance of the World Cup ambassadors and Qatar’s legacy for this event, he stressed that their selection as ambassadors, especially the ambassadors of Qatar’s legacy, was to benefit from them in shedding light on Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup and to benefit from them in informing the masses about the details of the great work to host the global event, as they are close to the fans and followers. He said choosing someone like Oman's star goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi was due to his popularity in Saudi Arabia, having played there. Khalid said that players like Al Habsi can deliver the message to fans regarding all things related to the World Cup and how to obtain tickets or travel to Qatar.
For his part, former Saudi Arabia player Manaf Abushgeer expressed his delight at being in Qatar and attending the event. He highlighted that Saudi fans are always there for the team, including the last World Cup edition in Russia back in 2018.
He told QNA that the Education City Stadium is one of the most beautiful and most attractive stadiums and has state-of-the-art facilities that will help players give their best and fans to enjoy the spectacle even more. He concluded his speech by saying that he expects Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup to be the best in the history of the tournament.
For his part, Khaled Al Olayan, a sports journalist in the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, and one of the influential ambassadors for the World Cup on social media, said that his presence and the rest of the fan leaders for this event in Qatar demonstrates the depth of the relationship between the two peoples and countries. He added that every Arab is proud of Qatar for hosting the first World Cup in the Arab world and the Middle East.
Meanwhile fan leader Saleh Al Qarni said that Education City Stadium, in its design and facilities, was one of the most beautiful stadiums he has seen, adding that each of the eight World Cup stadiums in Qatar was an architectural masterpiece. He added that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, expressing his happiness with at being part of the visiting a group of Saudi fans leaders here in Qatar. He also expressed his conviction that Qatar will host the best World Cup edition ever. (QNA)