(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Just two days after the country inaugurated its first 2022 FIFA World Cup venue with a spectacular ceremony, Qatar's Minister of Culture and Sports said the football-loving country will be ready to host the game's showpiece event 'by 2020'.
In a chat on hugely popular TV show 'Al Majlis' broadcast on Al Kass Sports Chennel, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali said Qatar remained committed to delivering 'a memorable 2022 FIFA World Cup'.
On Friday, the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani officially inaugurated the iconic Khalifa International Stadium which hosted the Emir Cup final in front of around 48,000 fans.
Football giants Al Sadd won the coveted trophy with a 2-1 win over Al Rayyan as FIFA President Gianni Infantino also watched the final from the VIP enclosure.
The venue was refurbished and ready to host matches five years ahead of schedule.
The Sports Minister said the inauguration of the Khalifa International Stadium was a perfect way to show Qatar's commitment on completing all of its arrangements way ahead of schedule.
'We are moving very comfortably and we will be ready (to organise the World Cup) in 2020. What happened on Friday was an ideal response to all skeptics and critics,' the Minister said during a live televised programme.
'We are committed to implementing all the provisions of the Qatar (bid) file for the organisation of the World Cup in 2022. Everything that Qatar pledged in its file will be honoured 100 percent,' he added.
The Minister underlined the four pillars of the Ministry's work: the State Constitution, Qatar Vision 2030, the directives of His Highness the Emir and the vision of the Sports Ministry.
The Minister said that Qatar aims to enable young people to achieve their aspirations, assist the disabled people to perform their roles in the society in addition to underlining the importance of sport activities in the country.
To a question, the Minister said the financial situation of the sports clubs had improved considerably.
'The club's debt situation this season is much better than the previous seasons. The situation of club debt will improve significantly over next few seasons,' the Minister said.
'We are trying to make the clubs independent. We understand the pressure that is placed on the heads of clubs. On the physical disbursement of the contracts of the players, we seek to resolve the problem according to FIFA rules and regulations,' he said.
He added: 'Most of the clubs get funds from the government. A special committee has been established to help clubs in the field of investment. There are some clubs that have already started to diversify such as the Al Sadd and Qatar SC. There must be regulatory controls for spending in clubs. We are happy with the great effort exerted by the administration at Al Khor Sports Club. We are currently putting some points to determine the criteria of financial support for some of the clubs,' he added.
On the decision to merge Lekhwiya and El Jaish, the Minister said: 'The merger of Lekhwiya and El Jaish will provide greater potential to support the rest of the football clubs in the country and soon you will see the many benefits (of such a move).'
Last month, Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Lekhwiya and El Jaish were merged to form 'Al Duhail'.
Starting next season, Al Duhail will be one of the participating teams battling for QSL Shield glory.
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