(MENAFN- The Peninsula) David Trezeguet, the striker who scored the golden goal that handed France the European Championship title against Italy in 2000, has highlighted the opportunities that the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will represent for technological advancement.
"The cooling systems will be a new technology to discover and it will show technological advances to the world, something which will be very good for players," the footballer told www.sc.qa in an interview.
The 36-year-old Frenchman, who was also part of the France side which won the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil, recently decided to end a three-year stint in Argentine football to join Pune City FC in the Indian Super League.
He is joined in India by former Liverpool forward Luis Garcia, as well as Robert Pires - the player who provided the pass for Trezeguet in the final of Euro 2000.
Trezeguet added that it was of utmost importance to develop football in different parts of the world, and that an element of discovery would be an essential part of the experience at the first ever tournament in the Arab world.
"It is very good that the Arab world will have this opportunity. Qatar is working very hard. They are a modern nation which is working to present something new for the FIFA World Cup in 2022. They want to show us their country, the modern stadiums. Qatar is developing well and it will be a great place to discover for visiting fans. It will open the football world to a new region."
The former Monaco, Juventus and River Plate striker said he was convinced that the tournament in Qatar would be well organised and easily accessible for spectators.
"Qatar will have short distances between venues so it will be beneficial to all people who come to visit. It will be a World Cup of short distances. The organisation will be good, and having a compact tournament is a big advantage which Qatar will make the best of in 2022."
Meanwhile, Jason McAteer of Republic of Ireland feels the introduction of cooling technology developed by Qatar will bring a real benefit to players.
"Starting here everything is new and built from the ground up. I certainly have a great appreciation now of how much work goes into this and how tough a job it is. I'm very impressed with what's happening."
The former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland midfielder was given an in-depth tour of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy's technical operations following a recent visit to the organisation's Doha headquarters.
He told www.sc.qa: "As a player you don't appreciate what goes into a World Cup. I've been coming to Qatar for work for three years now and I understand the culture, I understand what the weather is like. People from England don't necessarily see that. As soon as Qatar won the bid, the reaction was 'it's too hot'. When you look at the technology and see how it's going to benefit the players and the fans, it's amazing."
McAteer loved every minute of the two FIFA World Cuptournaments he played with the Republic of Ireland.
From the incredible success story for his side as they beat Italy at USA '94, to the drama on and off the park for the Irish team in Japan and South Korea in 2002, McAteer witnessed two editions of the tournament which were taken to new regions.
He believes a new generation of players will leave Qatar with even better memories from the 2022 FIFA World Cup which McAteer can't wait to see come to life.
"You look at the cooling systems that Qatar is developing and they just weren't available back when I was playing. Ireland played Mexico in Florida and it was over 110 degrees. Obviously the Mexicans had a huge advantage over us and it was very tough. In 2022, it will be a level playing field for everyone, playing in the same conditions and same temperatures. Sometimes it's difficult to imagine how it will be because you can't imagine technology that's not right in front of your face."
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