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Tunisia football chief hopes Qatar 2022 will pave way for major events in region

Tunisia football chief hopes Qatar 2022 will pave way for major events in region

The Peninsula

Qatar is ready to stage a spectacular edition of the FIFA World Cup 2022 – the first in the Middle East and the Arab world.

The hosting of the football showpiece in the Gulf State that kicks off on Sunday is seen as a big boost for the sport in the region, with many top Arab sports official seeing Qatar 2022 as a breakthrough in their ambitions to bring top-notch competitions into their countries.

Qatar’s unprecedented preparations to organise a successful FIFA World Cup has impressed all, with world’s 32 strongest teams gearing up to fight for glory at eight state-of-the-art stadiums.

The country’s world-class transportation, arrangements for accommodation for an estimated 1.2 million fans from across the globe and safety measures have pleased all.

Hailing Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup, Tunisian Football Federation (TFF) President Wadih Al Jari, hoped the mega tournament would be a game changer for the entire region.

“We hope this World Cup will be a gateway to organising major international events in the Arab countries,” Al Jari told Alkass.

The tournament is featuring four Arab countries including hosts Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Morocco besides Tunisia.

“I hope Arab teams will perform well and will contribute towards the success of the tournament in Qatar. As a Tunisian football president, I hope our national team will give their best show in World Cup history,” he said.

Tunisian team arrived in Doha on Monday to take part in the World Cup, receiving a warm welcome from a huge number of fans outside the airport as well as at the Wyndham Grand Doha West Bay Beach – their base camp.

Al Jari said Qatar is second home for the Carthage Eagles as he thanked the fans for their overwhelming support.

“The reception we received is a huge morale booster for the team,” said the TFF President, who is accompanying the Tunisian team.

“The airport and streets from where we went through were all filled with fans. The Tunisian fans always support the national side. We got a huge support in Russia four years ago and it is even more here. The fans support helped us in the FIFA Arab Cup,” he said refereeing to Tunisia’s runner-up position last year.

Making their sixth World Cup appearance, Tunisia are in Group D along with defending champions France, Australia and Denmark. The Carthage Eagles are set to open their campaign against Denmark on November 22 at the Education City Stadium.

Jalel Kadri’s men will meet Australia in the second match on November 26 before playing their last group match against France four days later.

Tunisia have never went beyond the group stage in their past five outings though they ended a 13-match winless run at the World Cup lasting 40 years at Russia 2018, beating Panama 2-1 in their final group match.