Lega Serie A, the governing body of the top division of Italian football, has announced that Doha will host the game between Serie A champion Juventus and Coppa Italia holder Napoli on December 22.

Serie A president Maurizio Beretta said that the agreement is for this year’s game only at present. He added at the press conference to announce the deal in Paris, France: “We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to export our Supercoppa to an interesting and prestigious country like Qatar.”

The announcement comes with Fifa continuing to debate when Qatar will stage its World Cup. Last month, football’s global governing body put forward January/February 2022 and November/December 2022 as alternative dates, as opposed to the tournament’s traditional June/July slot.

Fifa has previously said that the World Cup should be moved to the winter to enable players and spectators to cope with the stifling summer temperatures in the Middle East. The local organising committee has repeatedly insisted that it is prepared to stage the tournament in its normal summer window by using air conditioned stadia. Fifa’s taskforce on the matter is scheduled to meet again in November.

The Supercoppa Italiana has traditionally marked the opening of the Italian football season, but the league has taken it to a variety of markets in recent years. The Supercoppa Italiana was held in Beijing in 2009, 2011 and 2012; New York in 2003; the Libyan capital of Tripoli in 2002 and Washington D.C. in 1993.

Juventus won the 2013 Supercoppa, defeating Coppa Italia holder Lazio 4-0 in Rome.

Speaking at Securing Sport 2014 in London on Tuesday, Franz Beckenbauer told a select group of the press including HOST CITY that FIFA should make the findings of its investigations into alleged corruption public.

Beckenbauer was on the FIFA Executive Committee during the controversial bidding procedure for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Asked to reveal who he voted for, he said he had to respect the rules of the secret ballot. He also categorically stated that he did not accept, or receive any offers of, lavish gifts in attempts to influence votes. 

But he did say “I was surprised that Qatar won. It was a good bid like all the others, but it’s not possible to play football there in the summer. You have to put a lot of effort into cooling the stadiums. My suggestion would be to host in the winter.” 

In June 2014 Beckenbauer was suspended by FIFA from all football related activities for failing to help with the investigations of FIFA’s ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia. 

Beckenbauer then agreed to take part in the investigation and the ban was lifted. 

He told Securing Sport that he did not initially complete Garcia’s questionnaire because it was in complex legal English and he would have preferred to have answered such questions in German. 

FIFA has indicated that the ethics report, which should now be in its final stages, will not be made public. But Beckenbauer said the report should be made public as soon as it is finished. 

“Rumours are going round and that is very negative,” he said. “If the recent report has been finalised, it should be published. It’s up to FIFA – there is an Executive Committee to make these decisions, but personally, there is nothing to hide.”

Winning bid was my best achievement

Beckenbauer told delegates at Securing Sport that winning the bid to host the 2006 World Cup exceeded all of his many sporting and professional achievements.

Franz Beckenbauer led his national team to world cup victory as captain in 1974 and as manager in 1990. Yet asked by moderator David Walsh of the Sunday Times to name his greatest achievement, Beckenbauer said “Winning the bid for 2006 was the greatest moment of my sporting career.”

The greatest effect of winning the bid was the effect it had on sport in the country, he said. “German football has never been better than now; that is down to the World Cup. We have great infrastructure and full capacities. 

“The way football has developed is fantastic. I feel sorry for other sports: you switch on the television and all you see is football.”

Beckenbauer told delegates in London that hosting the World Cup could have a similar positive effect in England. “It is surprising that England hasn’t won the World Cup since 1966. There is so much talent, such great stadiums and fans, financially there is no problem.

“If England won a bid to host a World Cup, perhaps that might be an incentive for improving the standard of football.”

To find out more about bidding procedures for major events, register for HOST CITY Bid to Win on 28th October

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the stadiums and infrastructure required for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has announced the main contractor for the stadium being built in Doha’s Al Thumama district.

Qatari construction giant AlJaber Engineer LLC and leading Turkish construction firm, Tekfen Construction, were confirmed as joint-venture partners.

Arab Engineering Bureau, the oldest architectural and engineering consulting firm in Qatar, was confirmed in 2015 as the Design & Construction Supervision Consultant for the 40,000-seater stadium.

Al Thumama – a proposed venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar - is the seventh stadium for which the main construction contract has been awarded. The venue, located just minutes from Hamad International Airport and in the centre of the urban development of Qatar’s capital Doha, is scheduled for completion by 2020 and will host FIFA World Cup matches up to the quarter-final stage.

SC Secretary General, Hassan Al Thawadi, said: “We are delighted to award the main contract to AlJaber Engineering and Tekfen as a joint-venture. The stadium in Al Thumama is located in one of the most rapidly developing areas of Doha. Once ready, the stadium and its surrounding precinct will not only become one of the capital’s central sporting arenas, but will also serve the local community as a central community destination.

“I am confident that the signing of Al Jaber Engineering and Tekfen Construction, one of the leading construction companies in Turkey, will deliver an outstanding, legacy-oriented stadium for a historic tournament.”

The stadium is located in an area of 515,400 square metres that already comprises four outdoor training pitches and office facilities currently used by the Qatar Football Association Technical Committee. The stadium will have a reduced capacity of 20,000 seats in its post tournament legacy mode as part of the SC’s modular stadium legacy plans.

Eng. Hilal Al-Kuwari, technical delivery office chairman at the SC, said: “We’re pleased to bring together two firms as reputable as AlJaber and Tekfen to deliver such an important project for the SC and Qatar. The awarding of this contract represents another important project milestone, coming at a significant time as Qatar and the SC move beyond the half-way point in its World Cup journey. The appointment of a local company in this joint venture also demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the economic legacy for Qatar, post 2022.”

Construction began in Al Thumama in mid-2016, with TiME Qatar as the project managers. Most recently levelling and grading works were completed by Boom Construction. The stadium design will be launched in 2017.

In 2016, main works were awarded to Al Rayyan Stadium and Qatar Foundation Stadium and Lusail Stadium, which joined Khalifa International Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City and Al Wakrah Stadium in construction main works stage. Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will award the main contract in the second quarter of 2017.

All contracts on the stadium in Al Thumama incorporate the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards. Contractual enforcement of these standards and a rigorous four-tier auditing system guarantees international best practice on the stadium.