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KUALA LUMPUR – Although the World Cup 2022 is still 234 days away, Qatar now looks all set to host the tournament, said Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin.
Hamidin, who was heading the Malaysian delegation to the 72nd International Football Federation (FIFA) Congress in Doha, Qatar, said from his observation, the tournament venues were ready and the World Cup atmosphere could already be felt.
"The preparations made in this Asian continent and the first in the Middle East were described as completed and ready one year early,” he said in a post on the official Facebook of FAM today.
The Qatar World Cup, scheduled to be held from November 21 to December 18, is expected to attract huge crowds as more than 800,000 tickets were reported to have been sold so far.
Apart from Hamidin, FAM deputy presidents Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi and Datuk S. Sivasundaram also attended the congress yesterday and will be present for the World Cup draw today.
According to the post, at the congress FIFA president Gianni Infantino expressed his desire to contest again in 2023, apart from emphasising several major topics like increasing FIFA’s development fund to 25 percent for every affiliate country, investment in the development of football and resolution of war conflict in member countries.
Other matters on the congress agenda included voting on proposed amendments to the statute and permanent regulations of the congress, as well as discussions of proposals submitted by affiliates and council members.
“The most important thing is that the world football fraternity gathered together for the first time after being restricted by Covid-19. Therefore, the success of the congress and the following World Cup draw are a positive development,” Hamidin said.
Earlier, Hamidin, who is also a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) executive committee, attended the 9th AFC executive committee meeting for the 2019-2023 term in Doha on Wednesday.
He will also attend the seventh executive council meeting of the Asean Football Federation in Doha today. – Bernama, April 2, 2022
