Yaya Toure: Qatar Will Organize a Historic Version of The World Cup

Former Côte d'Ivoire and African football star and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ambassador Yahya Toure expressed his aspiration for the start of the World Cup, stressing that Qatar will organize an exceptional version of the tournament, hosted by the region for the first time in its history.

Toure said that Qatar's hosting of the World Cup is a source of pride for all Muslim players, pointing to the importance of the convergence of distances that characterize the tournament, as well as the timing of its competitions in November and December.

In an interview with (Qatar2022.qa), the former Côte d'Ivoire national team captain, who played for a number of European clubs, including Barcelona, Manchester City, and Monaco, stressed the importance of football and sports in general as a platform to unite people and reflect cultural diversity in the world, as well as It represents a force that leaves a positive impact on the lives of individuals and societies.

The Ivorian star praised Qatar's preparations to host the tournament and said: "Qatar's readiness for the World Football Festival, and the tremendous efforts it has made in preparing to receive fans from around the world, is truly amazing and deserves praise from everyone.

And about organizing the World Cup for the first time in this region of the world, in light of his participation in previous World Cups in Europe, Africa, and South America; Touré pointed out that holding the historic tournament in an Arab and Muslim country carries a special significance for the State of Qatar, as the first Muslim country to host this global event.

Toure, the four-time African Player of the Year winner, said: "There is no doubt that an Arab Muslim country embracing an event of this scale is a source of pride for all Muslim players.

The ambassador of the Qatar World Cup 2022 stressed that the convergence of distances between the World Cup stadiums and the headquarters of the participating teams, and training stadiums, will be admired by the players, as it will provide them with more time and effort to prepare for the competitions, which will reflect positively on their performance.

He added, "There is no doubt that we will witness in Qatar one of the best World Cup tournaments, because football stars will play within a limited geographical area throughout the global event, in contrast to previous editions, when I participated with my country in the World Cup in Brazil 2014, the stadiums of the tournament were separated by long distances, so we had to travel for three hours between one game and another, and this will not happen in Qatar.”

It is noteworthy that Yaya Toure, who is on the list of most crowned African player of the year, along with Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o, played for the Ivory Coast during their three World Cup appearances, beginning with the team's first appearance in the World Cup when Germany hosted the tournament in 2006, then The 2010 edition in South Africa, when the African continent hosted the World Cup for the first time, Toure concluded his participation in the World Cup when he led his country in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.