Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Scottish football legend Graeme Souness is no stranger to Qatar. The combative midfielder, who played in three editions of the FIFA World Cup, is a regular visitor to the country through his work as a pundit.
The Liverpool icon, who won three European Cups, recently visited the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s Legacy Pavilion, where he spoke exclusively to www.sc.qa.
What are your thoughts on the FIFA World Cup™ heading to Qatar in 2022?
For football, Qatar 2022 is great news. It’s only the second World Cup to be hosted in Asia, which doesn’t sound right when you consider the enormous interest in football across the region. The big clubs in England have been reaching out to Asia for a number of years, so it’s fitting the tournament is returning to this part of the world.
Personally, I’m looking forward to Qatar. Many people were concerned about this year’s tournament in Russia, but it has turned out to be an outstanding success. I’m sure it will be a similar story in Qatar.
Qatar is going to host a compact tournament. How important will this be in terms of overall event experience?
The world will see something totally unprecedented in Qatar. It’s amazing that the two farthest stadiums are within an hour of each other. Fans can stay in the same hotel throughout and really enjoy the football – potentially watching two matches a day. It’s fantastic.