Qatar 2022

[Rafa]

How to buy votes 101

Barcelona & Qatar Foundation agree £125m shirt deal

Barcelona have ended their 111-year history of refusing commercial shirt sponsorship by signing a record £125m deal with the Qatar Foundation.

The Catalan giants have paid to carry the Unicef logo for the last five years and the children's charity will share shirt space with the new sponsors.

Barcelona have a sizeable debt but now claim to be "the undisputed brand leader in world football".

The deal will be worth £25m a year from next season through until 2016.

In July, an audit revealed Barcelona's debt to be £369.5m after a loss of more than £64.36m in the 2009/10 season.

The new sponsorship arrangement could free up some transfer funds for coach Pep Guardiola - who worked as an ambassador for Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

The Qatar Foundation is a non-profit organisation concerned primarily with education projects in the Middle East.

It is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, the wife of the Emir, who was central to Qatar's final World Cup bid last week.

Senior club executives said the deal was a "remarkable milestone because it represents a record level of revenue for a football club and has more value still in the current economic climate".

Manchester United and Real Madrid both earn a little over £20m a year for their rights, while Bayern Munich make closer to £23m.

Marketing experts will seek to find a way for both logos to be displayed on the Barcelona shirts, although if that is not possible the Unicef name will take priority.

[qatar son 333]

The World Cup is coming to the Arab world !!!! Qatar 2022 EXPECT AMAZING !

[baron-pierreIV]

/\ Mike Lee will be dead by 2022. What would he care? He delivered for his clients; but he'll be gone to avoid any blame. What a coward!!

[Mainad]

/\ Mike Lee will be dead by 2022. What would he care? He delivered for his clients; but he'll be gone to avoid any blame. What a coward!!

What makes you think Mike will be dead by 2022? He's not that old! Plus,as you rightly point out,he's done his job and done it well.He helped get Qatar the world cup just as he helped London win 2012 and Rio win 2016.It's now down to those places to make a success of what he got for them.It won't be his fault if they then proceed to make a hash of it.

With his proven track record,I can only lament that England 2018 stupidly turned down his offer to help them.How different the outcome of their bid could have turned out!

England's loss turned out to be Qatar's gain.Well done Mike (yet again)!

Edited December 12, 2010 by Mainad

[qatar son 333]

Qatar 2022 Venues

Lusail Iconic Stadium (86,250)

AlShamal Stadium (45,120)

AlKhor Stadium (45,330)

Umm Slal Stadium (45,120)

AlWakrah Stadium (45,120)

Qatar University Stadium (43,520)

AlRayyan Stadium (44,740)

AlGharrafa Stadium (44,740)

Sport City Stadium (47,560)

Doha Port Stadium (44,590)

Khalifa International Stadium (68,030)

[Citius Altius Fortius]

@ qatar son 333,

first of all it must be very exciting for you after Qatar was selected to host the WC2022 and I wish the Qatarees luck in their preparations for it.

The stadiums are amazing, but I think the infrastructure (accomoation, traffic system (public transportation) is very important too, when you want to host a month long world event. What do you think has to be changed in Qatar to be able to host the World Cup? And who should use it after the WC? What is the legacy for Qatar?

Edited December 12, 2010 by Citius Altius Fortius

[FYI]

So when is the UAE going to be asked to host part of this when both FIFA &/or Qatar finally realize that it's just going to be toooo much for Qatar (really Doha) to handle all on it's own.

[Detroit]

So when is the UAE going to be asked to host part of this when both FIFA &/or Qatar finally realize that it's just going to be toooo much for Qatar (really Doha) to handle all on it's own.

Actually, Lusari has about 3 stadiums, including the final and opening matches(yes, the 86,000 seater)

[krow]

is there a map of qatar showing where all these venues are going to be?

[Olympian2004]

What makes you think Mike will be dead by 2022? He's not that old! Plus,as you rightly point out,he's done his job and done it well.He helped get Qatar the world cup just as he helped London win 2012 and Rio win 2016.It's now down to those places to make a success of what he got for them.It won't be his fault if they then proceed to make a hash of it.

With his proven track record,I can only lament that England 2018 stupidly turned down his offer to help them.How different the outcome of their bid could have turned out!

England's loss turned out to be Qatar's gain.Well done Mike (yet again)!

Do you really think that he was the reason for Qatar to win -- and the reason for England to lose? I don't think so. England or all the other bids (apart from Russia and Qatar) could have had 50 nymphomanic chicks with big breasts who are willing to fulfil every FIFA exco member's wish as bid committee, and wouldn't have won nevertheless against the two nations which paid best and had the strongest personal ties to Blatter.

[Mainad]

Do you really think that he was the reason for Qatar to win -- and the reason for England to lose? I don't think so. England or all the other bids (apart from Russia and Qatar) could have had 50 nymphomanic chicks with big breasts who are willing to fulfil every FIFA exco member's wish as bid committee, and wouldn't have won nevertheless against the two nations which paid best and had the strongest personal ties to Blatter.

Well,put it this way,Lee has been closely associated now with THREE successful bids on the trot (London 2012,Rio 2016 and Qatar 2022) and no,I'm not trying to say it was all down to him but it seems his input was invaluable and could've helped turn a struggling bid's fortunes as he did with London 2012.Again,I'm not saying he would necessarily have swung it for England 2018 but I'm willing to bet the bid would not have come away with just two measly votes had he been on board.He understands the bidding process,he understands the way the IOC and FIFA work and he has important contacts in both. It was very foolish and short-sighted of England to turn down his offer to help and they paid the price.(I'm very surprised that Seb Coe didn't push harder for his involvement as he had worked closely with him on the London bid and knew full well what he was capable of).Qatar obviously didn't think it was in the bag or I doubt they would have bothered to hire him.

Mike Lee on where England failed,why Qatar won

[LuigiVercotti]

I see in the article Mainad that Mike Lee cites a Middle Eastern population of 700 million by 2022. Intriguing figures considering that the largest Middle Eastern country right now is Egypt with approx 79 million, and Qatar having the second lowest at approx 1.7 million. Where did he get these population predictions from? And how easily managed and how sustainable will an influx of say hundreds of thousands of (for example) Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and yes even Israeli fans be into a tiny oil emirate?

Methinks Lee is a very talented spin doctor with some very savvy connections, backed by some serious money. I wonder if Andrew Jennings has ever talked to him

[Mainad]

I see in the article Mainad that Mike Lee cites a Middle Eastern population of 700 million by 2022. Intriguing figures considering that the largest Middle Eastern country right now is Egypt with approx 79 million, and Qatar having the second lowest at approx 1.7 million. Where did he get these population predictions from? And how easily managed and how sustainable will an influx of say hundreds of thousands of (for example) Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and yes even Israeli fans be into a tiny oil emirate?

LOL...well,I guess it's how you define who's Middle Eastern and who isn't! It looks as if Mike might have used the widest possible definition,ie.not just Arab countries.Sometimes countries like Iran,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Afghanistan and other Western Asian countries are defined as Middle Eastern in which case the population of the Middle East will indeed exceed 700 million.The second question will be a more intriguing one to answer but I have a feeling that the Qataris will come up with an ingenious solution.Having landed the biggie,they will be absolutely determined not to be seen to bugger it up!

Methinks Lee is a very talented spin doctor with some very savvy connections, backed by some serious money. I wonder if Andrew Jennings has ever talked to him

I suspect Mike is too savvy to give anything away to Jennings and co.I doubt he does anything actually corrupt or illegal but knows just how far to tread the line without actually getting his hands dirty!

[LuigiVercotti]

LOL...well,I guess it's how you define who's Middle Eastern and who isn't! It looks as if Mike might have used the widest possible definition,ie.not just Arab countries.Sometimes countries like Iran,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Afghanistan and other Western Asian countries are defined as Middle Eastern in which case the population of the Middle East will indeed exceed 700 million.The second question will be a more intriguing one to answer but I have a feeling that the Qataris will come up with an ingenious solution.Having landed the biggie,they will be absolutely determined not to be seen to bugger it up!

I suspect Mike is too savvy to give anything away to Jennings and co.I doubt he does anything actually corrupt or illegal but knows just how far to tread the line without actually getting his hands dirty!

Well we'll hopefully find out...I've dropped an email in the electronic aether to Andrew Jennings and hopefully he'll be able to either give some answer in a reply or on his web site.

The manner in which Jennings seems to get his info is either through off the record conversations with key contacts, court records or disgruntled associates of the various IOC/MaFIFA bigwigs. My suspicion is that Lee is as you say clever enough not get his hands dirty. But I wouldn't be surprised if someone in his spin company has let the fingers dip into the merde on behalf of a big wealthy bid patron/. And all it takes is one subpoena, one whisper in the wrong ear or one ill-judged sacking and AJ will be onto the dirt like a starving dog on a bone.

[qatar son 333]

Stadiums in relation to metro connections map taken from Qatar 2022 website.

Qatar Railways masterplan

New Doha International Airport (50 Million Passengers per Annum) opening 18th December 2011

World Cup fans housed at sea for Qatar 2022

Qatar is planning to use cruise ships to accommodate visitors during the World Cup tournament in 2022, Arabian Business has learnt.

Qatar is planning to have in place around 240 properties before the start of the World Cup in 2022, according to FIFA’s official report on the evaluation of the Qatari bid.

The report stated that Qatar currently has 100 existing hotels, villages and compounds spread across the seven host cities. An additional 140 properties will be sourced or constructed to meet accommodation needs, “including a cruise ship project in Al Wakrah with 6,000 rooms,” the report added.

“Cruise ships are good solutions... it makes sense,” said Jalil Mekouar, regional director and head of real estate advisory at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.

“Qatar will face similar issues as other countries have been facing, in terms of what do you do with all the inventory once the event is over… This challenge will be amplified for Qatar as we are talking about a city state, pretty much, and we talking of a small place physically, which is not as large as South Africa,” he added.

The report stated that two thirds of the new supply of inventory, which will amount to around an extra 55,000 rooms, will be covered by 17 construction projects, 13 of which will be completed by 2016.

As part of its bid, Qatar said it plans to double the number of hotel rooms to nearly 90,000 in time for the tournament, which will result in an investment of around $17bn over the next five years.

While the report stated Qatar currently attracts around one million visitors a year and aims to grow visitor numbers by 20 percent in the next five years, the country is already suffering from an oversupply in its hotel sector.

“The World Cup announcement has come at a crucial time in the growth of the hotel sector in Doha, which many privately feared was heading for oversupply and a rate war, as is being experienced now in Dubai’s Al Barsha district, for example,” said Guy Wilkinson, general manager at Viability, a Dubai-based hospitality consultancy company.

With the oversupply issue already in place, Mekouar said “talk to double [the inventory] is just going to emphasis the problem rather than solve it.”

However, Wilkinson was confident that growth in the tourism sector in Qatar could sustain the growth in supply.

“Qatar has already witnessed the importance of a major global sporting event to its hotel sector, when it hosted the 15th Asian Games in 2006. Not only were the hotels booked out during the two weeks of the games themselves, but they received significant and increasing demand for at least two or three years before that,” he added.

Using cruise ships as a short-term answer is one that was also used in South Africa during the last World Cup, when ships anchored off Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town helped supply up to 4,500 extra rooms as temporary accommodation.

While cruise ships are one answer to the temporary demand for accommodation, Mekouar said the oversupply issue in general “is certainly something to be looked at and I am interested to see what the response of the Qataris is.”

http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/10116-world-cup-fans-housed-at-sea-for-qatar-2022/

[baron-pierreIV]

Qatar S, so what are the pronouncements from the caves of Tora Bora?

How will Qatar deal with the Taliban and Al Qaeda if they are still around by 2022??

Will the bin Laden Construction Company be awarded some contacts?

Edited December 13, 2010 by baron-pierreIV

[krow]

Stadiums in relation to metro connections map taken from Qatar 2022 website.

quite audacious, but no less ridiculous.

what a city of that size will do with so many suburban stadiums is beyond me.

[baron-pierreIV]

what a city of that size will do with so many suburban stadiums is beyond me.

Each one will be named after the Unholy 13 who voted for them on December 2nd!!

[Citius Altius Fortius]

the plans are very impressive qatar son333,

do you think that the transport system is able to handle three matches on the same day without creating conflicting traffic routes? I hope Qatar won't witness a month a daily traffic jam, since many visitors will want to go to three different stadiums, which are in a quite close distance to each other...

[Citius Altius Fortius]

what a city of that size will do with so many suburban stadiums is beyond me.

I don't know if its true, but I heard some of the stadiums should be relocated to third world countries - therewith they have a stadium...

Edited December 13, 2010 by Citius Altius Fortius

[krow]

I don't know if its true, but I heard some of the stadiums should be relocated to third world countries - therewith they have a stadium...

first, i don't believe that.

second, when i read the qatar2022 website they're planning on keeping a shocking number of facilities standing after the WC. one entire stadium for sure will be dismantled, they said. others will just lose seats, which will then be donated/sold to other cities.

horribly wasteful to build a legion of extravagant complexes only to dismantle or scrap them after 4 weeks of actual use. i thought the next decade was going to be all about sustainability?

[krow]

The upper tier of 9 of the stadiums will be removed after the tournament. One, Doha Port Stadium, will be completely modular, and will be deconstructed following the FIFA World Cup™.

...

When the tournament ends, the lower tiers of the stadiums will remain in Qatar. Able to accommodate between 20,000 and 25,000 fans, the smaller stadiums will be suitable for football and other sports.

...

The upper tiers will be sent to developing nations, which often lack sufficient football infrastructure.

link. so what is that 10 stadiums left in qatar, a country where only about 250k people can even afford to see events in stadiums?

a real legacy for a city-state WC host would have been to dismantle 7 stadiums and ship them to cities that doha could form lasting sister city relationships with.

but that's so much work. and it's expensive. and this futuristic concept architecture--admittedly gorgeous--doesn't disassemble well. and, and, and. it's easier to just not.

[Detroit]

I don't know if its true, but I heard some of the stadiums should be relocated to third world countries - therewith they have a stadium...

It's what their doing. Tearing all the new ones down and putting them in third world countries.

Uganda please!

[Citius Altius Fortius]

Abuja?

[qatar son 333]

the plans are very impressive qatar son333,

do you think that the transport system is able to handle three matches on the same day without creating conflicting traffic routes? I hope Qatar won't witness a month a daily traffic jam, since many visitors will want to go to three different stadiums, which are in a quite close distance to each other...

There is no doubt that the current transport system would fail if miserably if we were to host the world cup in say a week. However we do have plans for the next 12 years.

Other than the great Metro system that is under construction as we speak, Qatar is investing in a renewing and expanding its current and future road systems, we will be having highways running through Doha city (5 major transport corridors around the nation), some projects are under construction with more going to start soon.

The roads are improving everyday, roundabouts are turning into major signals with underpasses, with other turning into multiple grade interchanges...

+ There will be water taxis available with entry into the market soon with places such as the pearl open & New Doha International Airport opening soon (2011), will provide exclusive connections with 3 stadiums which are AlShamal, AlKhor and Doha port.

____________________________

As you guys should know

the plan is to build 9 new stadiums and renovate 3 existing.

Meaning that Qatar already has 3 of the world cup stadiums ready. REGARDLESS OF THE WORLD CUP HOSTING RIGHTS 4 stadiums were going to be built anyways as they are part of several master-plans, and they are Education City, Sport City, AlWakrah and AlKhor. (Alkhor and Alwakrah part of their cities master-plans. Education city stadium part of the Education city by Qatar Foundation master plan, and Sport city part of the Doha city master-plan.)

1 stadium which is Doha port is fully modular so it will be removed, taken apart and given to poor developing nations (working alongside FIFA in terms of choosing the right places). the same goes to most of the stadiums 2nd tier or so. with the exception of Sport city as it will be 100% permanent 47K stadium.