Imran Khan hopes Qatar will hold ‘successful’ FIFA World Cup
It is widely accepted the Gulf state has spent $200 billion on hosting football´s biggest event
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan is hopeful that Qatar will successfully hold the FIFA World Cup 2022, which starts today.
Taking to Twitter, the 1992 Cricket World Cup-winning captain was also happy to see a Muslim country host the mega event.
“Wishing Qatar the best for successfully holding the football World Cup, which begins today,” tweeted Imran.
“It is for the first time that a Muslim country is hosting this biggest sporting event in the world. Good luck to all the participating teams,” the former premier added.
Qatar will finally get their home World Cup under way on Sunday, 12 years after the nation´s successful bid put into motion wide-ranging preparations which cost billions of dollars.
It is widely accepted the Gulf state has spent $200 billion on hosting football´s biggest event and Qatar will get its first glimpse at the final product at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor when the hosts take on Ecuador.
Organisers say that 2.9 million of the 3.1 million tickets have been sold and they will be expecting a 60,000 sell-out on Sunday.
The Group A match, which was moved forward from Monday to allow Qatar to play in the opening game, will be an acid test for the hosts both on and off the pitch.
FIFA and the tournament organisers will be hoping the kick-off can help put several controversies in the shade.
Qatar has faced criticism over its human rights record and the environmental fallout from holding the event.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had called on World Cup teams to "focus on football" in a letter earlier this month and accused critics in Western countries of "hypocrisy" on Saturday.
´We´ll bring ´A´ game´
Qatar will be wary of following the dozen years of work and spending with the embarrassment of becoming only the second host country to crash out in the first round.
To avoid joining South Africa in that exclusive club, Sanchez´s men have been tasked with getting out of a group also containing European giants the Netherlands and African champions Senegal.
A win against the less-fancied Ecuador would make those next two matches appear less daunting.
"On paper, they (Qatar´s three opponents) should get the three points, but we of course are here to show our people that we can be a competitive team," said Sanchez.
"We´ll bring our ´A´ game and play our football, and try to bring joy...
"We know that it will be a great challenge for us but we´re very eager to play this match and are very happy to be here."
The story includes input from AFP.
