Qatar World Cup, The First Ever in the Arab World
Thousands had gathered in Katara and the historic area of Souq Waqif. Minutes seemed to last forever. Al Jazeera’s then Managing Director, Waddah Khanfer, called and said: “If Qatar is awarded the right to host the 2022 World Cup, our coverage will go uninterrupted.” As the moment of truth arrived, there was a deafening silence – in Zurich and all across Qatar. Then the FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, announced the successful bidder: Qatar. The silence turned into a tsunami of joy. People took to the streets and cars honked their horns all along the Doha Corniche. Qatar had officially been declared the host of the 2022 World Cup.
The dream had come true, and Qatar outperformed other competitors and won the right to host the 2022 Mondial. Al Jazeera’s coverage went on for hours capturing the overwhelming sense of jubilation across Qatar and other Arab countries. The lesson is not to fear the obstacles, to work with a sound plan and unshaken faith and you will achieve your goal. That is simply what Qatar did in order to win the highest of honours: hosting the football mondial.
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