Manchester City star Yaya Toure got more than the hospital treatment he was visiting Doha for this week. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy made the most of the occasion, showcasing their plans for the 2022 World Cup tournament to the Ivorian midfielder.
“At Manchester City we talk about the World Cup in Qatar, but sometimes only because you hear very negative things,” Toure said. “If I’m honest, I had questions before I came to Qatar, especially about the weather. It is very hot and you ask yourself how it will be possible for players to play in this heat?”
The Supreme Committee welcomed the world-leading midfielder to the Legacy Pavilion – one of the venues that FIFA inspectors visited in 2010 before Qatar won the right to host the tournament. He was shown how stadiums will be cooled in environmentally-friendly ways and how and modular construction techniques will benefit developing countries after the tournament.
“Now that I have seen the plans and watched this amazing presentation, I have the answers. It is amazing,” Toure said.
“I didn’t understand the plans Qatar has. I didn’t know about the cooling technology or anything like this. I am so surprised. It has everything.
“I have played in the World Cup before. I am about to play in another one. I know what you need for this sort of tournament to be successful. Qatar looks like it has the plans to succeed.”
“For sure I will be telling my teammates about these plans because Qatar is planning to have everything. It’s fantastic.
After helping his team to win the English Premier League, Toure went to Doha’s Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital for treatment on a minor injury. He joins the Ivory Coast national team in Dallas, Texas on Thursday to prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Toure hopes to still be playing by the time Qatar is hosting. “In 2022 I will be 40 and maybe that’s too old to play at a World Cup. I’m trying to work out how I can be involved because this is the future. It looks amazing.”
