FIFA Legends Praise Organization FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar

Doha, February 09 (QNA) - FIFA legends Ricardo Kaka, Julio Cesar, and Javier Mascherano praised Tuesday the State of Qatar's organization of the FIFA Club World Cup, which is taking place in the country for the second year running. The three held a press conference today in Qatar, in which Mascherano said he was impressed with the great development of Qatar in terms of the performance of the national team and the efforts made in that regard. Macherano highlighted that Qatar succeeded in becoming the Asian champions, thanks to years of work in the background to develop the sport. He added that he expects that team to be a big challenge for others, given the home advantage they enjoy and the good players who play in the team. On the organization of the competition in difficult circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mascherano said that FIFA and Qatar have gone through a massive effort to make sure that this competition could still go ahead. "You have to be reminded that this is one of the few competitions to have fans in the stadiums, which is something that touches us emotionally. This gives us hope," he said. On the final, Mascherano said that both teams will be hungry to win. He noted that Bayern will be only the second team ever to win six competitions if they win on Thursday. On the other side, Tigres will be the first Concacaf team to win. Meanwhile, Julio Cesar said that Qatar's organization of the event was superb. He added that Qatar looks ready to host the World Cup in less than two years with four stadiums already ready. He also said he was blown away with the stadiums. Julio Cesar said that Qatar has amazing infrastructure and stadiums, which helps any competition succeed. "The stadiums are extraordinary, with a fabulous infrastructure. The fans are going to be positively surprised when they see the stadiums for the World Cup," he said. On Al Duhail's performance in the competition, he said it was a good one given they were playing for the first time in the Club World Cup. On the match between Brazil's Palmeiras and Tigres UANL, the former Brazil goal keeper said he wanted Palmeiras to reach the final, but wished Tigres luck in the final. For his part, Kaka noted that Qatari football has developed markedly in recent year, evident by the national team's performance in Copa America. On hosting the World Cup, he said that it will be a legacy for Asian football. He added that Qatar has seen remarkable development of its infrastructure, and praised the precautionary measures that are implemented during the competition. (QNA)