Samuel Eto’o: Qatar 2022 will be the best world cup yet

Former Cameroon captain, Samuel Eto’o believes Qatar will deliver ‘the best world cup’ yet, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic threatening fan attendance at stadiums for sporting events.

Eto’o, who is also a Qatar 2022 Ambassador, also believes Qatar have already proven their capability in battling the pandemic, having held events like the Club World Cup earlier this year with 30 per cent attendance.

Speaking to a select group of African journalists in a virtual media roundtable organized the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the former Barcelona star expressed optimism that stadiums will be filled to a 100% capacity by the time the world cup comes around.

“Let’s hope that for the world cup, we actually get a 100% capacity at the stadiums. I know that with the joint efforts of the WHO and other agencies, we can deal with this pandemic once and for all.

“The Qatar 2022 world cup is going to be one of the best world cups ever organized. It will be spectacular and it will only be fair if spectators are able to witness it.

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed, I am positive we will have stadiums filled to a 100% capacity,” he said.

He also took the opportunity to praise Qatar’s readiness and preparation for the quadrennial global extravaganza despite having had to tackle an unprecedented pandemic. Qatar’s meticulous planning has meant that the work on the 2022 World Cup projects have not suffered despite being slowed down due to the pandemic.