DOHA: Qatar will play host to the Asian qualifying rounds for the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
The announcement was made during a press conference yesterday at the Aspire4Sport congress.
The qualifying rounds will be played from January 22 to 26 at Katara Beach.
Teams will vie for three spots at the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which will be held on the Pacific island of Tahiti.
Qatar’s national Beach Soccer team will be attempting to qualify for the first time, under the stewardship of Brazilian coach, Nenem.
Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has joined hands with FIFA Beach Soccer to host the qualifying rounds.
Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Marketing and Communications Director, Nasser Al Khater said hosting the Beach Soccer tournament is part of the strategic plan to host high profile sports events and promote sports tourism.
“Our decision to partner with FIFA Beach Soccer to host the Asian World Cup qualifiers demonstrates our commitment to the growth and development of Soccer in Qatar and the region. It provides Qatar with an opportunity to showcase its hosting abilities in terms of organising a successful event with the aim of building toward ultimately hosting an unforgettable World Cup in 2022.”
“Hosting the Asia Qualifier is an opportunity for the general public in Qatar and visiting fans from neighbouring countries to come to a fun event, support their national teams and utilise the incredible beaches that our nation has been blessed with,” Al Khater said.
Joan Cusco, FIFA Beach Soccer CEO and FIFA Beach Soccer Committee Member, thanked Qatar for supporting the sport and elaborated on why Qatar is an ideal destination for the Asian qualifying rounds.
“Beach Soccer has been received tremendously well in this region. We hosted the Asian qualifiers in Oman in 2011 and at the beginning of this month hosted the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in Dubai, which will now be held on an annual basis. The quality of the beaches, combined with Qatar’s commitment to sport and Soccer in particular, makes Doha an ideal destination for us.
Beach Soccer’s popularity has risen sharply in recent years, evidenced by the number of nations bidding to host the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - twelve in total.”
Qatar’s national Beach Soccer coach, Carlos Alberto Lisboa, popularly known as ‘Nenem, who is the top Brazilian goals scorer in the history of Beach Soccer and who was voted best player in the World Cup in 2002, believes that hosting the qualifiers can raise the profile of the sport in Qatar.
“Playing host to the qualifying round is an exciting opportunity for our team. I have been working with the team for the last two years. We have to practice and practice, so that we realize our dream of qualifying for the main draw in Tahiti.”
Nenem said he is looking to add more talented players to the squad.
“I hope we will qualify, inshallah, but we have to work hard. We have been back from China after taking part in a Beach tournament. We are planning to have a good pre-season training ahead of the qualifiers.
And playing at home will have its advantages said the Brazilian.
“We will have the advantage of playing our matches in front of a home crowd. I hope that hosting the event will engage the local public with the sport and raise awareness of the talent that we have in our squad.”
Christian Karembeu, former Real Madrid and FIFA Beach Soccer Ambassador spoke about the sport from a player’s view.
“Beach Soccer requires skill, agility and speed and the players that represent their national teams are extraordinarily talented. With the qualifiers, Soccer fans in Qatar will be treated to an incredible week. The players will enjoy being here. The beach surfaces are perfect for Soccer.”
The official draw for the qualifiers will take place in Doha following the closure of team registrations on December 19.
FIFA Beach Soccer officials said they around 16 countries are likely to submit their entries to Asian Football Confederation before the deadline for entries.
“India, Saudi Arabia, Australia and India are some of the countries who have shown interest to take part in the Qatar qualifiers,” disclosed Cusco. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is a bi-annual international beach football competition contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA.THE PENINSULA
