FIFA Updates

SINGAPORE (AP)—Qatar may be considered an outsider in the bidding to host the
2022 World Cup but the head of its bid committee feels the desert nation has a
good chance to be chosen by FIFA in December.

“Our chances are good,” Hassan Al-Thawadi told reporters at an Asian
football forum in Singapore. “It will be a close call, but I do believe coming
to Qatar and the Middle East in 2022 will be a new frontier for FIFA.”

Qatar is bidding against the U.S., Japan, South Korea and Australia. It is
aiming to become the first Middle Eastern country to host football’s biggest
tournament, but faces several hurdles, including its scorching summer heat and
restrictive alcohol and dress policies.

Al-Thawadi said Qatar is developing “second-generation cooling technology”
which will keep stadiums, training facilities and fan areas at about 27 Celsius
(81 degrees), far cooler than the 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees) high that
Qatar averages in June, July and August. Qatar also plans to allow alcohol
consumption in fan zones and bathing suits to be worn at hotel pools.

“I don’t see it as a cultural clash,” Al-Thawadi said. “We accept other
people’s cultures.”

Qatar plans to invest $4 billion to build 12 stadiums which would all be
within an hour of each other, allowing teams and fans to cut down on travel time
and cost. It will host the 2011 Asian Cup and will unveil a new $5 billion
international airport next year that will be able to accommodate 50 million
passengers a year.

Qatar, which has large reserves of oil and gas, has one of the world’s
highest gross domestic product per capita at $81,692, according to the
International Monetary Fund.

Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam, a Qatar citizen,
told reporters he would vote for his country’s 2022 bid. He warned that China’s
bid to host the 2026 World Cup could be in jeopardy if an Asian country were
chosen for the 2022 tournament.

“If any of these countries succeed, there will be no chance for Asia to
host in 2026,” Hammam said. “So the ambition of China has to go a few years
after.”

A FIFA delegation is ending a three-day visit to Australia on Wednesday to
inspect stadiums and other facilities for the country’s 2022 bid. At the end of
the inspection tour, the delegation will submit a report to assist FIFA’s 24
executive members select a host for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which will be
announced by FIFA on Dec. 2 in Zurich.

The U.S. is competing for 2018 tournament, though it appears likely one of
four European bids—England, Russia, and the joint bids of Spain-Portugal and
Netherlands-Belgium—will be chosen.

DURBAN, South Africa (AP)—Netherlands striker Robin van Persie is angry at
himself for missing chances at the World Cup but is convinced he will start
finding the net soon.

The Arsenal striker was a contender to be one of the tournament’s leading
scorers but has only managed one goal in four matches in South Africa.

“I am not scoring and that eats away at me—at every striker, I think,”
Van Persie said after he ended scoreless in the Netherlands’ 2-1 defeat of
Slovakia. “I’ve had a few small chances. I just want to score.”

Van Persie was clearly annoyed at being substituted in the 80th minute of
Monday’s victory, which set up a potentially classic quarterfinal with Brazil on
Friday in Port Elizabeth, believing chances were about to come his way.

“I wanted to finish the game. I thought they would take risks in the last
10 minutes and I wanted to exploit that,” Van Persie said. “I could see spaces
opening up and I wanted to use them, so I was a bit shocked when I had to go
off.”

He appeared to remonstrate with coach Bert van Marwijk on the sideline
before sitting on the bench.

Van Marwijk played down any dispute with his first-choice striker, who has
scored 19 goals in 48 internationals.

“I shook his hand and understood that he was disappointed, that’s not a bad
thing,” Van Marwijk said. “Everyone wants to play the whole game.”

Van Persie only returned to international football last month after a
six-month layoff because of a right ankle injury he suffered against Italy in
November. But his scoring touch appeared to have survived the break as he hit
four goals in three warmups before the World Cup to raise hopes of a prolific
tournament.

Instead he has misfired in South Africa, despite heading an attack that also
includes Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Dirk Kuyt.

“I’m doing my absolute best, I can’t do more than that,” Van Persie said.
“I desperately want to score and give assists but it didn’t work out for me
today.”

Robben defended Van Persie and his anger at the substitution.

“It’s difficult for Robin to get free,” Robben said. “You are tightly
marked at a World Cup, we shouldn’t make a big deal out of it.”

Van Persie said he has learned playing for Arsenal that more chances will
come his way—and that he will put one of them away.

“One thing I learned in England is that you can miss chances or have a bad
first touch, but as a striker there will always be another chance,” Van Persie
said. “I played against Everton once when I missed three chances, but in the
end I scored the 2-1.”