Qatar advanced to the final round of World Cup qualifying while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were
eliminated in a wild day of matches across the Asian continent.
The 2022 World Cup hosts, currently ranked 96th in the world, scored a late goal to draw 2-2
with Iran. The draw moved Qatar into second place in Group E at the expense of Bahrain.
Mirror: Why the heat is on FIFA to make the 2022 World Cup in Qatar a
success
It's Friday evening in the western suburbs of Doha in Qatar and the car park outside the giant
Villaggio shopping mall is jammed with 4 x 4s trying to find a space. A kid is showing off by
letting a python writhe around on his shoulders outside the mall entrance which is a giant mock-up
of the San Siro in Milan, all red-painted steel and criss-cross girders.
The Premier League chairman and FA vice chairman, Sir Dave Richards made a thorough ass of
himself at a recent symposium on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. His is a very Eurocentric view and on
top of that it's a subset (England and Germany) he uses to make his point. As if these are the only
two countries that matter.
The Middle East and North Africa loom large as FIFA's executive committee meets in Zurich this week
against the backdrop of calls to investigate Qatar's bid to host the 2022 World Cup and blatant
political interference in Egyptian soccer, says writer James Dorsey.
