Qatar facing unfair criticism over World Cup, organizer says

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Qatar has faced a lot of unfair criticism over its hosting of the football World Cup that was not based on facts but it has responded to any fair criticism, the Qatar 2022 Chief Executive Nasser al Khater said Thursday.

He told a news conference, the first held by organizers in months, that 70 days prior to the tournament’s kick-off, sports and transport infrastructure in the country were complete and the remaining work was “aesthetic.”

The decision to have the World Cup in Qatar, the first Middle East country to host the event, drew criticism from some human rights groups regarding its treatment of foreign migrant workers and restrictive social laws.

“We think that a lot of the criticism has been unfair, not based on factual reality. Whatever we felt was fair criticism we have taken on board,” Khater said.

He spoke at Lusail Stadium, which will host the World Cup final. The 80,000-capacity arena will handle a capacity crowd on Friday for the first time for the Lusail Super Cup, the last major test event for World Cup preparedness.

Over a million fans are expected to attend the event, with many flying or driving in from neighboring Gulf states.

Doha spent years enhancing its infrastructure in the lead-up to the World Cup, including building seven new stadiums, a metro system and new expressways. Khater said the cost of Qatar’s World Cup was “in line with or less” than the last three.

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