Mumbai: Unfazed by the economic boycott by the Saudi Arabia-led bloc of countries, 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar are extremely confident of delivering a top-notch event and also expect a big contingent from India to attend football’s show-piece in the Arabian Desert.
“For us, sports and politics are separate, and so we are confident that our vision and meticulous planning that has gone in over the last eight years to accomplish it, will bear fruits in 2022 irrespective of the blockade imposed on Qatar,” World Cup CEO Nasser Al Khater said.
“Our plan is to go smoothly irrespective of whether the illegal blockade imposed on Qatar is lifted or not,” Al Khater said when queried about the Saudi-led boycott.
“We have maximised the use of alternative shipping lines and air routes since the blockade was imposed. In addition to ports of other countries in the Middle East, we have also maximised the use of shipping lines to India, China and the ASEAN regions, namely Malaysia and Singapore,” he emphasised.
Noting that in the last World Cup in Russia, the Indians constituted the third biggest group of ticket purchasers from countries that had not qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Qatar CEO insisted that things would be easier for the Indian fans.
He said “because of Qatar’s geographical proximity to India, the visa on arrival facility is extended to the Indian nationals.”
PTI