Arab Cup will be successful in all aspects: AFC chief

President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa

President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa affirmed that the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 will be successful in all aspects in light of the international attention it enjoys, especially from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In a press statement, Sheikh Salman said that he was very happy with the presence of so many Arab countries in Doha under one roof to participate in the Arab Championship. He added that the tournament will be a useful experience for Qatar’s preparations to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, which will be held for the first time in the Middle East and the Arab world. Sheikh Salman, who is a member of the FIFA Executive Committee, stated that holding the Arab championship on six of the Qatar World Cup stadiums will be the best way to test the stadiums, especially as it may be the last rehearsal before hosting the World Cup. Sheikh Salman thanked FIFA President Infantino for his efforts to organize the Arab Cup again and within the international agenda, and praised the efforts of Qatar and HE President of the Qatar Football Association Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani to organise the tournament again, as well as for hosting sports officials from Africa and Asia. He said that the World Cup stadiums would contribute significantly to the success of the Arab championship in a dazzling manner in all aspects, considering that the failure of some Arab teams to compete in the tournament with local or international players will not affect the technical level of the tournament, especially that European clubs may not allow their international players to participate in the tournament. The AFC President stressed that the tournament will be an opportunity for the emergence of new Arab football talents, and that they can prove their capabilities in front of the whole world, especially as the tournament will attract the world’s attention. He considered that the tournament will be beneficial to the Arab teams, whether in Africa or Asia, especially since they have not met often in recent times, and that such confrontations will raise their technical level. The FIFA Executive Committee member looked forward to the end of the Coronavirus crisis before the World Cup in Qatar, noting that Qatar is making distinguished efforts in the health field as it has taken preventive measures to confront this disease, made great steps in vaccinating all its citizens and residents, and implemented health protocol in all the sporting events that it hosted recently, including the Club World Cup and the Asian Champions League.