Doha: During his recent visit to Qatar, the famous Saudi actor and journalist Omar Hussein made a stopover at the headquarters of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and put into words exactly what it means for the Arab world to have the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar within such close proximity.
When asked about the excitement felt in Saudi Arabia for the world’s biggest football tournament, Hussein said: “If you started selling tickets for the 2022 World Cup now, they’d sell out in a matter of hours.” Hussein also spoke about the passion for the World Cup in the Arab World, saying: “There’s tremendous enthusiasm for the World Cup.”
One of the leading media personalities in Saudi Arabia, Hussein has worked as a journalist, writer, actor and a stand-up comedian, and he is the most viewed Saudi media personality on social media, with 20 million page visits in one year. He is also ranked the tenth most influential media personality in the Arab World.
Speaking to www.sc.qa, Hussein said preparations for the tournament made him optimistic about the future. “This work shows how serious and ambitious the Qatari leadership is. The same seriousness and ambition was the reason why Qatar won the rights to host the World Cup in 2022, becoming the first country in the Gulf region and the Middle East to do so. This is a source of pride for everyone in the region,” he added.
Hussein also praised the steps taken by the SC to make the 2022 FIFA World Cup one with a legacy for the people of the entire region: “Previously, for us the World Cup was just a series of matches we’d watch on television. But after our dream of hosting a World Cup in the region became reality, we will now see matches in Doha. Any fan who so wishes can see more than one match every day. Fans from the Gulf and the rest of the Arab World will get to meet international stars.”
The Saudi comedian also said that teams from the region could put on a strong showing in Doha: “We’ve managed to bring the World Cup to the region and by that same logic we can win. No one is better than anyone else so long as we have the opportunity to train our teams to international standards. We can get real results by training early and systematically. Nothing is impossible in the world of football.”
Hussein concluded by talking about Saudi football and the country’s chances of participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup: “I think Saudi Arabia will qualify for 2022. The fans won’t forgive the team if they don’t qualify for a World Cup hosted in their second homeland – Qatar.”
Source: Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)
The Peninsula
