FIFA is confident of achieving safe and secure World Cup in Qatar

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Security Last Mile Conference

The two-day FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Security Last Mile Conference, which is organized by the Safety and Security Operations Committee (SSOC) of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, started on Sunday, May 22, 2022 in Doha.

The conference witnessed a wide international and local participation, with the aim of emphasizing the security readiness of the State of Qatar to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, reviewing the latest security preparations for the tournament, enhancing the police cooperation and follow up on the implementation of security plans and strategies in cooperation with partners at the local, regional and international levels.

In his speech at the opening of the conference, Maj. Gen. Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Ansari, Chairman of the Security and Safety Operations Committee for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stated that this conference comes a few months before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ as a continuation of the efforts of international coordination and cooperation and the exchange of experiences between various countries and security authorities at the regional and international levels, and an affirmation of the joint responsibility in achieving the highest standards of security and safety during the World Cup. 

“It is therefore a space for reflection and recognition of what has been done at all levels, especially the security aspects, which we have given the most attention and care in preparation, training and qualifying to make it the safest and most secure edition of the World Cup”, the SSOC head said. 

Maj. Gen. Al-Ansari also added that the State of Qatar has completed its preparations and readiness to host the word cup tournament, the largest sporting event in the world. Qatar enjoys a high level security and police services, and ranks first in all global security indicators in terms of low crime, in addition to possessing security capabilities and competencies that help it provide the highest levels of security and safety in various international events that hosted many of them during the Covid-19 crisis, even with the strict health and security measures.

Qatar's efforts culminated in the hosting of the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, which was an important occasion for us for measuring the security, logistical and organizational readiness. It was a real test to measure the quality of security services provided to the public and participants, and we were very pleased with the testimonies of participants from the bodies and organizations overseeing the tournament, as well as the testimony of the participating states, confirming our readiness to make the World Cup the most secure and the safest tournament, he mentioned. 

During his speech, Maj. Gen.  Al-Ansari reiterated the readiness of the State of Qatar to host this global event, as a culmination of the continuous efforts over the past years, which witnessed the development of security strategies and plans, based on accurate measurement indicators and best practices that crystallized in the implementation of many programs, training courses and mock drills. The "Watan (1)" exercise, with the wide participation of  regional and international countries to implement various scenarios reflected the integration of roles between security, civil and military authorities, to reach the summit of readiness and preparedness, he added. 

Speaking in the opening ceremony of the Last Mile Conference, Director of Safety, Security and Access at FIFA,  Helmut Spahn stressed on the level of integration and partnership that has been achieved by the Security and Safety Operations Committee (SSOC) of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and he said that this  puts the FIFA in a position of comfort and reassurance that the preparations will lead us to organize a distinguished tournament. The State of Qatar has spared no effort in the field of international cooperation, which the FIFA has been keen to support from the beginning, he mentioned. 

During the speech, FIFA’s Director of Safety, Security and Access also explained that,  among the achievements of the SSOC are International Police Cooperation Center, which was established for previous FIFA events; data-sharing agreements with the aim of preventing hooligans  from entering the country, partnerships for training and capacity building and signing of many memoranda of understanding with Interpol, Europol, the European Union and many other agencies.

“The FIFA's human rights requirements have been integrated with the work mechanisms of the tournament's Security and Safety Operations Committee, and full engagement with the FIFA security team and the security and safety plans for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 have been approved and shared with main stakeholders” he added. 

He also said that all these achievements were accomplished in the most difficult times that the region went through, which is considered a great achievement that deserves to be commended. He stressed that the State of Qatar, despite that, remained one of the safest countries in the world.

He added that, with the efforts made by the State of Qatar in the areas of planning, FIFA is confident of achieving a safe and secure tournament that reflects a real level of security for all participants.

Stressing on the participation of the FIFA as the organizer of the game, in a large way in preparing for this tournament in Qatar, he said that, since the inception of the Committee in 2012, FIFA has been associated with the tournament's Security and Safety Operations Committee (formerly called the Security Committee) and he praised the teamwork, hard work and tireless efforts made by the State of Qatar and the tournament's Security and Safety Operations Committee.

“This achievement would not have been achieved without the high level of preparedness from the authorities in the State of Qatar, and without the collective work with the international bodies responsible for law enforcement,” the FIFA security head added. He said that the presence during this conference in the State of Qatar, less than 200 days before the start of the event, confirms the importance of coordination and cooperation between international bodies responsible for law enforcement in their efforts to ensure the organization of a safe and successful event.

It is known that every country that organizes major events will face many challenges and different circumstances. Of course, this applies to the security aspects, just as the challenges faced by Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Russia, so Qatar faces other current challenges, he said. 

Joint Declarations Signed  

The first day of the Last Mile Security Conference for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 witnessed the signing of the joint declaration on the International Police Cooperation Center between the State of Qatar and a number of countries and relevant organizations participating in the conference with the aim of exchanging information.

Representing the Qatari side, Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Ansari, Head of the Security and Safety Operations Committee for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Brig. Ibrahim Khalil Al-Mohannadi, Head of the Legal Affairs and Communication Unit, and Colonel Khalid Ali Al-Kaabi, Deputy Head of the Legal Affairs and Communication Unit signed in the agreements.