MUMBAI: Qatar’s secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Hassan Al Thawadi, who is leading the 2022 FIFA World Cup organising committee, has expressed Qatar’s desire to “capture” the Indian market, terming it “the next big market in football”.
Qatar will be the first Gulf nation to host football’s showpiece. The first World Cup in Asia was jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea in 2002.
“It is important to highlight a few facts, first the biggest expat population of Qatar is the Indian population. Qatar have a very close relationship with India,” PTI quotes Thawadi as having told select media in Doha on Wednesday.
India has got the ability to be the next sport technology hub and Qatar is looking towards making sports industry as a vibrant part of sports economy, he said. “In terms of economy, L&T (Larsen and Toubro) is working with us. There are a lot of sub contracting opportunities which are available. And what we want to target is the technology.” L&T is overseeing work at the Al Rayyan Stadium, one of venues for the World Cup.
SC, the local organising body for the World Cup, is reportedly in discussions with India for cross-promotional activities, which Qatar wants to do in the run-up to the World Cup. “The connection with India is built over generations, not over day and night. No doubt India is the next big market or it is recognised as the next big market, when it comes to football and that’s why a lot of international players (are) going in India,” Thawadi said.
“A lot of fantastic work (currently court barred AIFF president) Praful Patel is doing in India. We saw the success of the (FIFA) U-17 World Cup in India, the fact that it has broken record in terms of attendance, so it’s definitely a market we want to capture, how we capture it, there are many different ways, there are cross- promotional elements which we are discussing with Praful Patel, different opportunities of cross promotion. There is discussion on the club level, projects on the club level, and there will be cross-promotional opportunities between us.
“As Russia (FIFA World Cup 2018) ends and we start taking the mantle in promoting the World Cup, there will be many more activities that we will do to target India and the Indian subcontinent,” he added.
