Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola said on Thursday he had become an ambassador for Qatar s bid to become the first country in the Middle East to host the World Cup in 2022.
I am here to inform you that I have reached an agreement to be an ambassador for Qatar s candidacy to host the 2022 World Cup. My support stems basically from the fact that I lived there, he told a news conference.
They really insisted and since they treated me and my family well, I decided to accept the proposal.
The 39-year-old, who played for Qatar s Al Ahli between 2003 and 2005, also said he hoped Spain and Portugal s joint bid to host the 2018 World Cup would succeed.
As an ambassador, Guardiola will attend events to voice his support for Qatar s World Cup ambitions, as well as giving leaders of the bid technical advice on staging the world s biggest tournament.
Everywhere he goes, Josep will bring across our message that a World Cup in Qatar in 2022 will give sporting hope to millions of children across the Middle East, said Qatar s bid committee CEO, Hassan Abdulla Al Thawadi.
Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands/Belgium, Russia and Spain/Portugal have bid to host both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, while Qatar and South Korea are bidding just to host the event in 2022.
England and Spain/Portugal are viewed as the leading contenders for 2018, while the United States, hosts in 1994, are seen as a top candidate for 2022.
A World Cup in Qatar would be the first global sporting event ever to be hosted in the Middle East.
