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Chapter 378 World No. [-]
The final of the No.2011 Asian Cup in 15 is destined to be a game that will be recorded in the annals of world football history.

It’s not that the two teams in the final were amazing teams, and they played some wonderful and unforgettable games. Although it was the first time that China and South Korea met in the Asian Cup final, although Chinese football is now a pivotal force in world football, Korean football has always been famous in the world, but if it is enough to go down in history, the two teams are still a bit short.

What really attracted the attention of fans all over the world was the venue of the final match.

Logically speaking, the venue for the finals will definitely not hold only one final. There are often matches that have been held at this venue in previous competitions, but the venue for the finals this time is an exception.

There are four or five stadiums in Doha, Qatar, but this stadium is the only one in the world.

Stadiums for football games are often open-air, and games are often disturbed by weather conditions, such as heavy rain. If the rainwater is so heavy that the drainage system of the stadium cannot be cleaned in time, there will be too much water in the stadium, and it will be difficult for the ball to bounce.

However, this stadium will not be disturbed by any weather conditions. Even if the ground temperature is more than 40 degrees, even if there is hail in the sky, the game can continue as usual.

There is no other reason, just because this stadium is built underground.

The Wall Stadium in Doha, Qatar, is the world's first large underground gymnasium. From a bird's-eye view, it looks like a large computer notebook. The display screen is the main stand. It is the biggest feature of this stadium that it can make the whole stadium feel air-conditioned. Once the roof is closed, it will be an underground paradise.

This stadium was originally expected to be completed last summer, but it took a lot slower than expected, and it was not put into use until the beginning of this year. The venue for the Asian Cup final was arranged in this stadium. This means that the Chinese national team and the South Korean national team will be the first teams to play in the underground football field.

It is said that Qatar originally did not plan to put this stadium into use in the Asian Cup. The reason why it later changed its mind and let the final venue be held in this unique underground stadium in the world is because of other considerations.

According to the rules of taking turns hosting the World Cup in different continents, in 2006 the venue was Germany in Europe, in 2010 it was held in South Africa in Africa, in 2014 it was held in Brazil in the Americas, and in 2018 it should be Asia’s turn. Japan and South Korea had already hosted the 2002 World Cup last time. Therefore, apart from China, the only applicant in Asia this time is Qatar, which hosted the Asian Cup. Although Mexico in North America also applied for the right to host the World Cup, it was held in South America in 2014. Yes, there is no reason for it to be held in North America in 2018. In addition, Asian football is developing rapidly. FIFA, which likes to promote the level of football in the world to increase its popularity, is more willing to hold the 2018 World Cup in Asia. North America wants to host it?Let’s wait for the next reincarnation. Besides, it’s not that Mexico has never hosted the World Cup, so you can’t be so greedy.

Therefore, after digging out some cats and dogs, the most competitive for the 2018 World Cup are China in East Asia and Qatar in West Asia.Australia, a strong competitor before, has announced its withdrawal from the World Cup bid, probably because of its unwillingness to join the East Asia and West Asia competitions of the AFC.

From other perspectives, Qatar and China are almost equal. Although the AFC chairman and FIFA vice-chairman Harman are Qataris, the AFC first vice-chairman and FIFA executive committee member Xu Bing is Chinese. Xu Bing’s prestige in the AFC and FIFA is no worse than that of Harman. At the same time, he has a good relationship with the former AFC Secretary-General Verapan. Southeast Asia supports China more. In addition, East Asia has united against West Asia, so Qatar does not have much advantage .

In terms of hardware, Qatar is at a disadvantage. Although they have money and built a lot of modern stadiums, compared with China, which has successfully hosted the Olympic Games, they are far inferior to China in terms of attracting tourists and attendance. What's more, with Qatar's weather, the summer of the World Cup will definitely not be a good day to watch games. to China.

The time to bid for the World Cup is in the second half of this year. Seeing that they have no advantages in all aspects, and even lag behind, Qatar has resorted to its trump card - the world's first underground football stadium.

Taking the final of the Asian Cup final, the highest level event for Asian national teams, as the carrier, and using the world's first underground stadium as a gimmick, let FIFA know that although it is not as vast as China's territory, Qatar is not inferior to China in terms of stadium hardware facilities!

It is true that you have a bird's nest, but can your bird's nest hold competitions in any weather?Can it make the stadium warm like spring all year round?
As long as there is not much difference in hardware facilities, with FIFA's habit of supporting weak football countries, the chances of Qatar's successful bid to host the World Cup will increase a lot!
What's even better is that there is also the Chinese national team playing on this stadium... After the game, a few reporters were sent to interview and let the players of the Chinese team praise the excellence and comfort of this stadium, which is much better than boasting!
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The capacity of The Wall Stadium is not large. Due to the limitation of only one main stand and the level of construction, the stadium can actually accommodate more than 1 people. Qatar has a small population and limited tourists, so the ticket price of this stadium is also high. However, Qatar’s per capita income is very high. In addition, this game is the first in the world to be played in an underground stadium, so quite a lot of fans came to watch it.

Before the game started, a middle-aged man was leisurely smoking a cigarette in a box in the center of the grandstand, looking at the facilities around him.

This person is not young anymore. Although he is well maintained, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and brows still betray his real age, but his eyes are always shining with the excitement and curiosity of a young man, making people ignore his age at a glance.

Putting out the cigarette butt in the ashtray in front of him, he poked his head to look at the situation below. This box is one of the boxes with the best location in the stadium. Looking down, you can have a panoramic view of the situation in the stadium. There is a satellite TV in the box. If there is a game, you can watch the replay of the wonderful picture at the first time. It can be said that it includes the advantages of watching the game live and watching the game in front of the TV.

In addition, the other facilities in the box are also quite luxurious, and there is even a small refrigerator with various drinks and alcohol in it.

The middle-aged man had a look of disapproval on his face. He opened the refrigerator, picked out a bottle of red wine, and said to himself, "No matter how luxurious the facilities are, they can't compare to a five-star hotel. The stadium is just for watching football. What kind of stadium is a stadium that can only accommodate more than 1 people?"

Just as he was muttering, the door of the box was pushed open, and a middle-aged man who looked older than him strode in, closed the door casually and said with a big smile, "Old Pei, you came quite early."

The middle-aged man who came first raised his head and glanced at the middle-aged man who came later: "Chairman Xu has a call, can I not come early? If it weren't for your invitation, I would prefer to watch the game in the stands below... Watching the game in the box, that's not for watching the game, it's for showing off."

Chairman Xu smiled: "Okay, I know that you, Pei Wei, prefer to watch football close to the stadium. Don't I have something to discuss with you? What do you think of this stadium? Will it affect the judgment of the FIFA people?"

"Don't worry about it." Pei Wei shrugged his shoulders: "How many impression points can a mere stadium, even if it is the world's number one stadium, give Qatar the right to host the World Cup just because of the gimmick of the world's first underground stadium... Maybe this stadium is enough to be recorded in the history of world football, but compared with our Bird's Nest, which can only accommodate 1 people, the atmosphere of the game is far worse! Now we have twelve stadiums in the country that can host large-scale events. There are also four or five professional football stadiums, not to mention that our Chinese football is now qualified to become the third force outside of South America and Europe...Compared with Qatar, which is still in its infancy, FIFA is more willing to see us use the World Cup to improve the image and level of Asian football...Don't worry, bidding for the World Cup requires various advantages and meticulous work.

"But don't forget how we lost to Australia in 1993." Chairman Xu was still a little worried.

Pei Wei nodded: "That's right, unless there is no opponent in the bid for such a large-scale competition, no one can be said to be [-]% sure. You do what you want to do, and leave it to me to lobby the executive committee. You should do your best to do what the Football Association can do. If it is inconvenient to come forward, leave it to me... A mere Harman can't cover the sky in Asia, let alone FIFA!"

He clenched his fists hard, and a cold light flashed in his eyes: "If this bid to host the World Cup is done well, it will be worth our five years of development... We can't wait another 16 or 20 years... We must seize this opportunity!"

(End of this chapter)