Qatar 2022: Exclusive Interview with Bid Inspection Project Manager

 
FIFA awarding the World Cup to Qatar in 2022 has certainly caught the imagination of the footballing public. For the first time ever the competition will make its way to the Middle East, where a vast untapped footballing community awaits with baited breath.

Jon Sinigaglia was Project Director for the FIFA pre-qualification bid inspection of Qatar and was an integral member of their winning bid team.

Here he exclusively answers my questions about Qatar’s plans, ambitions, and ability to host such a prestigious tournament and about the legacy they wish to leave behind.

Mohamed Bin Hammam Resigns From Presidential Election On The Eve Of FIFA Ethics Questions

Mohamed Bin Hammam has sensationally pulled out of the race to become the next President of FIFA, leaving Sepp Blatter as the only candidate left in the field ahead of the June 1st election.

The withdrawl comes just hours before the 62-year-old was due to face the FIFA Ethics Committee over allegations of collusion between his bid team and members of CONCACAF ahead of the 2022 election.

Bin Hammam is the current head of the Asian Football Confederation and masterminded Qatar's bid for the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar 2022: The ASPIRE Academy Is Its Very Heartbeat

FIFA's decision to award the World Cup to Qatar in 2022 has received its fair share of criticism.

Most commentators seem to be condescendingly focusing upon the fact that the country is too small to host such a major tournament. There has also been mention that the country has no past footballing pedigree. The Middle Eastern peninsula does however have a growing reputation within professional sporting circles as being one of the locations of choice for major events over the last 20 years.

At the very epicentre of Qatar's hopes for 2022 will be the ASPIRE Academy. Since its inception in 2004, the Academy has risen to the forefront of leading sporting centres around the world. While Dubai and Abu-Dhabi have moved to attract the world’s business clientele, Qatar has taken quite a unique step and has looked to improve its name by becoming a centre for sporting excellence.

World Cup Bid Reaction: Were Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 the Right Choices?

The morning after the afternoon before and the dust has finally settled on Russia and Qatar's respective wins for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals. England's bid team is waking up from the mother of all hangovers wondering what exactly happened yesterday, and now the recriminations can finally begin.

2018 and 2022 World Cup Race: Every Bidding Nation and Vote Analysis

The FIFA Exco will meet over the next three days to decide the destination of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Here we look at each bidding nation and the 23 men whose vote will decide the winners.

The 2018 World Cup will go to Europe as Holland/Belgium, Spain/Portugal, England and Russia address the FIFA Exco with their final submissions on December 2. One day before the five bidding nations for 2022 will get their chance to state their case.

Each submission can only last a maximum of 30 minutes and is the final chance the bidding nations have to sway the vote.

So far, the Iberian bid claims to have eight votes guaranteed for 2018 while Qatar seems quietly confident for 2022.

To win the World Cup 13 votes must be won, with the process eliminating a bidding nation until that total can be reached.

Here we look at each bidding nation, their strengths and weaknesses and the 23 Exco members and where they may or may not vote.