Ecstatic Qataris Dance in Streets after Winning World Cup Bid
Pics by Alexis Castelino
Daijiworld Media Network - Doha
Doha, Dec 2 (IANS/DPA): Thousands of fans took to the streets of Doha Thursday, blaring horns and waving flags in celebration of Qatar winning the bid to host the 2022 football World Cup.
"This is a moment of joy for all Arabs, everyone in Doha is on the street exploding with happiness and pride," said Ali el-Hagary, a Qatari national, as he took a momentary break from celebrating the win.
Qatar will be the first Middle Eastern country - and first Islamic nation - to host a World Cup tournament and among the cheering supporters in Doha were citizens of other Arab countries, also waving their national flags with joy.
Officials said special designated fan-zones will be cordoned off where serving and drinking alcohol will be allowed during the tournament, in a country that often follows strict Islamic rules. Homosexuality is also illegal in Qatar and there are tight regulations on modest dress.
"When we Qataris travel to the West or anywhere else, we try to respect their customs and to represent our culture as best as we can," said Abdelaziz al-Ogail, who works in the country's lucrative petrol sector.
"Hopefully we will not see any trouble with clashing customs," he said while enjoying the festivities on the streets.
Qatar had pledged in the lead up to the bid that it would let the Israeli national side into the country for the World Cup, if the team advanced, but it remained unclear what would be the rules for holders of standard passports of the Jewish State.
Israel and Qatar have some trade relations but, like most Arab states, Doha does not have full diplomatic ties with Israel.
Crowds had been gathering in the Qatari capital hours ahead of the announcement by the ruling body FIFA in Zurich. Several major companies had given employees the day off to allow them to join in the public display of support for the bid.
Tens of thousands of Qatari flags and shirts branded with "2022" were distributed to fans earlier in the day.
Posters lining the city's streets read "We will score the goal and make history" alongside the country's emblems.
"We started off being written off, being the unconventional bid that no one saw coming, no one saw we had a chance to win," Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, head of the Qatari bid, said in Zurich.
"Expanding to the Middle East and bringing the games to our region, to our homes, is the right think to do," bin Hamad said.
But not everyone thought Qatar was the right place to hold the first games in the region.
"I am not happy that Qatar is the first Arab country to host the World Cup - they have no history in football," said Ahmed Agha, a dedicated Egyptian football fan who was bucking a generally joyous trend in the Middle East.
"They have never qualified for the World Cup before," Agha added, saying he would not go to Doha in 2022.
Qatar, which has the world's second highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, has vowed to build 12 new solar-powered, carbon neutral stadia and to upgrade three existing facilities.
The natural gas-rich Gulf country said it plans to reconfigure and transport 12 of the stadia to developing countries after the tournament ends.
Qatar to Host FIFA World Cup in 2022
Zurich, Dec 2 (IANS/DPA): Russia on Thursday December 2 won the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup while Qatar will stage the 2022 tournament.
The decisions were announced here by Joseph Blatter, the president of football's world governing body FIFA, following a secret ballot by 22 members of its executive committee.
Russia won the vote ahead of rival bidders England, Portugal/Spain and Belgium/Netherlands.
It will be the first time either Russia or Qatar will stage a World Cup.
"Let us make history together," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said.
Qatar, which is hosting the 2011 Asian Cup in January, won ahead of rival bidders Australia, the US, South Korea and Japan.
It becomes the first Arab country, the first from the Middle East and the Gulf region and the first Muslim nation to host football's biggest tournament.
The vote came after the final 30-minute presentations by the 2018 candidates. The 2022 candidates made their presentations Wednesday.
The executive committee, led by Blatter, consists of eight vice presidents and 15 members, but Thursday's vote was made by 22 instead of 24 members after the suspension of Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii over corruption allegations.
The victorious bidders for each tournament were the first to gain an absolute majority of 12 votes among the members.
FIFA was expected to announce the exact voting figures later.
The names of the winning bids were placed in an envelope and announced by Blatter at Zurich Exhibition Centre.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who did not take part in the Russian presentation, was now expected to travel to Zurich.
Putin's spokesman, Dimitry Peskov, said before the outcome of the ballot that Putin would be delighted to meet members of the executive should Russia win the vote.
Russia was the last candidate to make its pitch, with its FIFA member Vitaly Mutko saying eastern Europe had never previously hosted the World Cup.
"Twenty one years ago the Berlin Wall was broken. Today we can break another symbolic wall and open a new era in football together," he said.
"Russia represents new horizons for FIFA, millions of new hearts and minds and a great legacy after the World Cup, great new stadiums and millions of boys and girls embracing the game."
Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva said: "Russia is changing and the World Cup will bring more people into sport."
England had made what many observers felt to be a strong final pitch. Prime Minister David Cameron promised "the most spectacular World Cup in history" if England were chosen.
But their bid to host the World Cup again following 1966 ultimately failed.
In the 2022 bids Wednesday, Qatar sought to allay fears of temperatures of above 40 degrees Celsius for a tournament which would take place in June and July by offering air-conditioned stadiums.
Pledging ideal conditions for both players and supporters, Qatari bid leader Hassan al Thawadi said: "All our stadiums, training sites and fan zones will be at 27 degrees C, all solar-powered and 100 percent carbon neutral.
"The application for this technology goes far beyond stadiums. Heat will not be an issue, whatever the climate, and we want this to be a global, lasting legacy."
The Qatar government has pledged $4 billion to build the stadiums which will be dismantled after the finals and re-erected in developing nations, leaving "a lasting legacy", he said.
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