“The dead in Qatar? Three, the rest is false …”

Nasser Al-Khater, CEO of Qatar 2022, spoke to several international media, including AS, during a talk held at the Qatari Supreme Committee headquarters in Doha. “In Qatar everyone is welcome. It does not matter gender, religion, race or sexual orientation,” he said. in reference to his last and controversial interview on CNN and the country’s position in relation to homosexuals.

Al-Khater also delved into the controversy over the deaths in the construction of the stadiums: “In Qatar, three World Cup workers have died. Three. It is public data that we have never hidden. The data offered by various media (The Guardian recently spoke of 6,500 deceased) they are used to create negativity and respond to personal interests. They are absolutely false. We do not recognize this data and it is not contextualized. It is irresponsible journalism. It seems that everyone who dies in Qatar does so for the World Cup. “

Another issue that he addressed was the boycott that several northern European countries have initiated against his country. “We are focused on organizing a good tournament. Obviously the federations and the players are free to think what they want about Qatar, “he said.

The CEO of Qatar 2022 acknowledged that his is going to be a World Cup very different from others: “We expect between 1.2 and 1.5 million fans. There will be different accommodation possibilities for all of them. We want this World Cup to be the one for the entire Middle East region, not just from Qatar. This is how most people in the region feel. “

Some details were also given of how the logistics will be at the World Cup: “Technically it will be possible to go to more than one meeting a day. During the Arab Cup I was able to do it myself. Also the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino. Three? Four? That will depend on each one, and you have time to move. But you can buy as many tickets as you want within the same day ”. The leader also clarified that the teams must necessarily stay in Qatari territory during the World Cup by FIFA regulations, which prevents them from staying in a nearby country and traveling to matches.