DOHA – Luca Cipriani was handed the fantastic opportunity of spending three days in Doha in close contact with the officials readying the country to welcome the World Cup.
As president of Inter Club Milano Interista, Luca was hosted by the committee for infrastructure and services at Qatar 2022.
"I went with some French guys, let's say I was there both as an Italy and an Inter fan. I wanted to visit the sporting structures, urban areas and tourist sites in a young country that is preparing to host a global event."
There are still six years to go until the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, yet the impression is that progress is already at an advanced stage. "I think they'll finish with two years to spare. The eight stadiums are to be revamped or built specially for the occasion and work is already well under way."
"They've made significant investments in tourism and the city itself as well. Doha doesn't have public transport at the moment, so they're building three metropolitan lines.”
Luca's experience also included Nerazzurri training sessions and the pre-match conference, with the friendly against PSG at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium to cap it all off.
"There was a really calm atmosphere about the place. Roberto Mancini and the squad worked really hard – you could sense a positive environment at the press conference and away from the pitch as well.
"What can I say about Inter's performance? We're top of the league, the coach understands his players and he's got many different options. Using Adem Ljajic in a deeper playmaker role alongside Geoffrey Kondogbia and Marcelo Brozovic seemed to work."
There was a great contribution from the stands as well, driven by Inter Club members who are only geographically distant from the club. "There's amazing passion in these countries, not just Qatar.
"Many people only have these opportunities to see training sessions, matches and players up close. It's right that this part of the world gets to host the World Cup.
"The support I've seen in these few days speaks volumes about the importance both for Italian football in general and a club like Inter in particular to organise these kinds of events. This way you can reach as many people as possible far away from Italy."
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