Qatar will put on “an absolutely superb World Cup” in 2022: Adshead

WELLINGTON - Former head coach of New Zealand’s national football team, John Adshead, believes that the tiny state of Qatar will put on “an absolutely superb World Cup” in 2022.

Adshead is best known for guiding New Zealand to their first World Cup finals appearance in Spain in 1982 and he knows the Gulf region well from his time as Oman’s national youth coach in the early 2000s.

Appreciating the decision to name Qatar as host, he said no one on the outside was privy to the reasons behind world body Fifa’s decision.

“But if you want to develop the game, then I think Qatar is a fantastic choice, and they will put on an absolutely superb World Cup. I know it will disappoint Australia and other countries that applied, but it’s a coup for Asia and for the Gulf states,” he said.

While Qatar had a population of just 1.4 million, it had the wealth to deliver the infrastructure needed and its location was also an advantage,” NZ Herald reports.

“Dubai, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia are all close by and it’s seven hours from London and seven hours from Singapore. It’s a pretty central place,” Adshead said. (ANI)