Football
For the first time, an Indian company is building infrastructure for 2022 Fifa World Cup
It was the Indian company Larsen and Toubro that had signed a contract along with its joint venture (JV) partner in Qatar to build a 40,000 seater stadium for $360 million. This was part of the sports infrastructure being readied by the Emirate in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The contract was announced by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
This was the first time ever that an Indian firm has been involved in any capacity whatsoever when it comes to building infrastructure for a FIFA World Cup.
“The contract for the project is for a combined value of $ 360 million for both JV partners and is slated to be completed by 2019. The scope for the stadium includes main works and construction of the site, following completion of the enabling works,” the filing said.
Inspired by local patterns, the Al Rayyan stadium and its precinct design will resemble the sand dunes that surround the traditional desert tents, it added.
A landmark in the making, the Al Rayyan stadium will be one of the most significant stadiums slated to host games up to the quarter-finals in the much awaited 2022 FIFA World Cup, it added.
Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and Dr Deepak Mittal, the Indian Ambassador in Qatar, on Monday visited the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Visited Ahmed bin Ali Stadium at Al Rayyan. Congratulate Larsen & Toubro and their Qatari partners on an impressive project. Has enhanced India's reputation for quality and delivery. Best wishes to Qatar for FIFA 2022 @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/F0LkfkGm4d
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 28, 2020
"Visited Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium at Al Rayyan. Congratulate Larsen and Toubro and their Qatari partners on an impressive project. It has enhanced India's reputation for quality and delivery. Best wishes to Qatar for FIFA 2022," Jaishankar wrote in another tweet.
According to an official statement, Hassan Al Thawadi and Nasser Al Khater, Chairman and CEO respectively of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC met the ministerial delegation at the stadium and conducted a full tour of the facilities including the pitch, competition areas, and VVIP seating areas.
"Qatar and India have shared a close relationship for centuries, through trade, culture, and people-to-people ties, and the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, built by Larsen and Toubro, is a symbol of this relationship and our shared history," Al Thawadi said.
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium was inaugurated recently on December 18, 2020, when it hosted the Amir Cup final between Al Saddand Al Arabi in a high profile event on Qatar National Day attended by several dignitaries including FIFA President Gianni Infantino and All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel, the statement said.
The 40,000-capacity stadium will host seven matches till the Round of 16 stages during the 2022 World Cup and will function as the home of Qatar Stars League (QSL) outfit Al Rayyan.
The stadium's facade is glowing and is composed of patterns that symbolise different aspects of Qatar - the importance of family, the beauty of the desert, native flora and fauna, and local and international trade, it said.
Qatar has a significant Indian expatriate presence with almost 25 per cent of the Middle-East nation's population being Indians, the statement further stated.
This was the first time ever that an Indian firm has been involved in any capacity whatsoever when it comes to building infrastructure for a FIFA World Cup.
