Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday handed over the mantle of World Cup host to HH The emir of Qatar, whose country will stage the 2022 edition of the tournament. “Russia is handing over the relay baton for hosting the FIFA World Cup to Qatar,” Putin said.
“We’re proud of what we did for fans of this wonderful sport. We ourselves, the whole country, got an enormous amount of pleasure from interacting with football, with the world of football, with the fans who came here from all over the globe.”
“I’m sure that our friends from Qatar will be able to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the same high level. We’re, of course, ready to share the experience we acquired in holding the World Cup this year, along with our friends,” Putin said.
At the climax of the ceremony, Putin handed an official World Cup ball to Infantino, who then handed it on to HH The Emir. The Qatari emir said his country would apply all its efforts to making a success of the 2022 World Cup. “We hope to overcome all the difficulties,” he said. He said his country would also try to outdo the success on the pitch of the Russian team, who surpassed expectations by reaching the quarterfinals.
“Although it’ll be hard to repeat that success as we’re a small country, but we’re very keen on sport,” he said.