The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organization responsible for delivering the infrastructure required for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, officially inaugurated the Khalifa Stadium on Friday evening when Al Sadd took on Al Rayyan in the Emir Cup final.
Among the top dignitaries at the event which included H.H. the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon was also in attendance.
This was the first time that the cooling technology was introduced for the very first time which saw the temperature inside the stadium almost being half to what was experienced outside the venue.
Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who serves as the captain of Al Saad, gave thumbs up to the cooling technology stating that it was the ideal ambience to play a game of football.
Ignore the Barcelona conspiracies, Real Madrid will be deserving champions
Calderon heaped praise on Qatar’s leadership for coming up with a revolutionary technology which has to an extent shut the critics up.
“I was amazed. I have said that to everyone from Spain and Europe. Qatar has proven to the world that it is a very big country. The hard work, perseverance, creativity, determination is all there for us to see. Few people thought that whether it (cooling technology) was not going to be possible,” Calderon told Goal.
However, on a light note, he mentioned having caught a cold due to the cooling technology!
“The only point negative, you can say (laughs), is that I caught cold! It was 40 degrees outside the stadium and 19 degrees inside. The inauguration was very, very well done. I congratulate everyone in Qatar!” he signed off.