UAE Open to Co-Hosting World Cup If Qatar Rift Resolved: Sports Chief

Date: 22 January 2019 - 21:03

News ID: ۶۲۳۴۴

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates sports chief Mohammed Khalfan al-Romaithi believes the Persian Gulf nation would welcome an approach to co-host the 2022 World Cup if its deep political rift with Qatar is resolved.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has backed a proposal to expand the next World Cup from 32 to 48 teams and has suggested that neighboring countries could host matches.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, however, launched a diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar in June 2017. The countries accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, which it denies.
"I think the right way is to solve the problem," Romaithi, who on Monday stood down from Abu Dhabi's Executive Council to focus on a bid to run Asian football, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
"Bring back the relationships, be brothers again like we were, and then we can support."
There have been few signs of an end to the region's deepest rift in years, which Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said is not a priority. Qatar has said it would like to resolve the crisis, but does not need to.