DOHA – Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam has praised Qatar’s hosting of the Asian Cup, calling it the perfect rehearsal for the World Cup in 2022. Bin Hammam, himself a Qatari, who was instrumental in helping bring the World Cup to his homeland, also hailed the quality of football on show at the continental showpiece.
“It’s been an extremely well organised event by Qatar,” said the Asian Football Confederation president, who has not ruled out running against FIFA boss Sepp Blatter when he stands for re-election in May. “Although it is 12 years (sic) between now and 2022, it was a very good rehearsal for that competition.”
The tiny but wealthy country has thrown plenty of money at the Asian Cup — the stadiums are shiny and modern, the organisation is excellent, facilities are top-notch and communications work flawlessly. But the fans have been missing and it is sorely lacking atmosphere. Even hosts Qatar were not able to drum up enough fans to fill the stadium when they faced Japan in a thrilling quarter-final, their biggest match in years. Bin Hammam, though, has
been pleased with the standard of football.
