Guardiola backs Qatar bid to hold 2022 World Cup

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.