The excitement of Iran’s opening match in the final round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers for Russia 2018 overshadowed an equally important off the field event.

The Qatar Football Association delegation included members of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organization established by the State of Qatar to oversee all matters related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, the Iranian Football Federation Vice President Ali Kafashian outlined the most important issues discussed with the Supreme Committee’s second-in-command Assistant Secretary General Nasser Al-Khater.

What was the purpose of the visit of Mr. Nasser Al Khater and his colleagues?

I have known officials from the Qatar 2022 for a long time. We last met on the sidelines of the 2015 Asian Football Confederation Awards Ceremony in New Delhi, India. I extended an invitation to our friends to come and see for themselves what we have done in the past several years and further discuss mutual points of interest for both parties so far as the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar is concerned.

What are the mutual points of interest between football authorities in Iran and the 2022 organizers in Qatar?

Qatar has always stated that this is a World Cup for the Middle Eastern region. The 2022 tournament will be the first one, staged in an Islamic country. We want to extend a helping hand, however small or big, to our Muslim brothers and sisters in Qatar. It is a point of pride for all nations in this region.

 How can Iran help Qatar?

Mr. Nasser Al-Khater answered that question by stating the biggest help Iran can offer is to qualify for the 2022 tournament. We will do our utmost to meet that request! Off the field, this is a once in a life-time opportunity for all of us in this region to work together to showcase our shared culture and religion in the best light to the whole world. 

Can you please elaborate further?

Qatar has been under constant and unfair attacks in recent years. Even when some of the accusations have been proven wrong, like the number of dead workers building World Cup stadiums, the perpetrators just keep spreading the same wrong allegations with impunity. We share those feelings of hurt with our brothers and sisters in Qatar. We sympathize with them. We know how misrepresentation of one’s culture and tradition can damage your reputation before the eyes of the world. Iran, for long, has been under attack by certain media outlets in the west, depicting a wrong picture of our people and culture. When we have sports officials, players and coaches visiting or working with us here, they all have the same reaction: “Our personal experience of Iran, its people, culture and religion could not be farther from the misinformation we had been fed.”

How does all of this could help Qatar?

First and foremost we offer our unequivocal and categorical moral support to Qatar to host the Islamic world’s first ever FIFA World Cup. This is a World Cup not only for Qatar, or West Asia, or the Middle East. It is a World Cup for the whole of Asian continent and above all the entire world’s Muslim population. It is a point of honor for us in Iran. When you could see a mosque minaret in the background of a stadium on your television sets in 2022, people from Mauritania to Indonesia can immediately relate to that image. It will bring us all together.

How can Iran be involved with the actual staging of the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

Former UEFA President Michel Platini once floated the idea of the 64 games of the finals should be shared in the region. However, that idea was shut down very quickly as the finals had been granted to one country. The 32 teams participating in the finals should arrive in the host nation five days ahead of their first match by the latest. So, even offering team base camps to any of the 32 teams during the tournament in places like Dubai or our own Kish Island is not plausible, at least according to existing FIFA World Cup regulations.

So what else is left for Iran and other neighboring countries to share?

 Plenty! When South Africa hosted the World Cup, all of FIFA’s men competitions took place in Africa. Egypt hosted the FIFA Under-20 World Cup and Nigeria hosted the Under-17 World Cup, a tournament our Under-17 team reached the last sixteen and only bowed out 1-2 in extra time to Uruguay. And the Confederations Cup was staged in South Africa itself.

Are you suggesting that FIFA should stage all of its competitions in Asia in 2021?

Yes and why not? The World Cup host will have to stage one test event, which is normally the Confederations Cup. In addition, FIFA will stage Under-17 and Under-20 Men’s tournaments as well as the FIFA Club World Cup, the latter of which will have been staged in Japan and the United Arab Emirates between now and 2018 at any rate.  So, if FIFA has four men’s World Cup events in different categories, we can bid for one to give another Middle Eastern flavor, in addition to the tournament Qatar will be hosting as a test event in 2021.

Can Iran handle the demands of a large-scale international tournament?

Of course. We bid to host the expanded 24-team AFC Asian Cup in 2019. Iran and the United Arab Emirates were the final two remaining candidates. We have several stadia, refurbished or newly built, with a capacity of 40,000 plus. I do not need to remind anyone of the grandiose of Tehran’s Azadi stadium, an iconic and well-known football venue around the world.

But an international tournament would require many more elements, such as appropriate infrastructure in the Tourism industry.
Our country is investing a great deal in building new hotels, purchasing new fleet for our Airline industry and without a shadow of doubt we can offer the most varied landscape anywhere in the world to visitors. Iran has been named amongst the top ten countries in the world for tourists to explore and enjoy. If we manage to be granted the hosting rights of one of those FIFA tournaments in 2021, we will promise Teams, officials and their fans a fantastic time. It will be an unforgettable experience for all. That will give fans a glimpse of what they can expect in 2022, different to anything they may have experienced before.

How different?

Firstly, the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will be the safest tournament I can imagine, and void of any hooligan elements that you see marring the image of international football every now and again.  It will be a family oriented event. Secondly, the proximity of Qatar to its neighbors will also provide fans with a great chance to explore the whole region. We want to make sure that places like the Kish Island, Shiraz and Isfahan will be on the short list of anyone going to Qatar to support their team in 2022.  The beauty and mystery of Iran and short flights from Doha will be a huge plus for us.

 How else can Iran benefit?

Off the field, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will bring a great deal of expertise to various parts of the football industry. As part of their legacy commitment, Qatar World Cup organizers want to train local football administrators through a program called JOSOOR.  Two of our Football Federation staff have already taken advantage of these certified management courses in Doha and graduated to become highly recognized international football administrators. They are now valuable members of our staff. So, the benefits of the Middle East’s first World Cup will go well beyond football and tourism. 

 Anything else you may want to add?
We had fruitful discussions with our Qatari colleagues. They were hugely impressed by our Football Academy. They sensed the extent of our willingness to be alongside them in their challenging journey. We also learnt how hard they have been working to reach their goals. How the have faced huge challenges in recent years. We learned how willing they are to introduce changes while preserving their rich culture and traditions. Their journey will be a long and at times arduous one. We will be alongside them in this important juncture in our region’s history. The 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will be an event that can potentially reshape relations and bring us closer together.