Blatter: Doha Goals Forum Has Sport, Social, Economic Aspects

Doha, December 11 (QNA) - FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Tuesday said that the Doha Goals Forum is a unique concept that can achieve the social and economic objectives of sport at the same time, pointing out that it will significantly contribute to attaing several sport initiatives. Speaking on the sidelines of the Doha Goals Forum at Aspire Zone, Blatter said the forum can realize new and different objectives, especially that it is not only a sport society, but also there are social, political and economic aspects that need to be addressed among others. He added that sport brings people together for the same goal, and has a big influence on all levels, noting that exercising sport gives enthusiasm, motivation, strength, patience, perseverance and hope. Sport is the equivalent of hope, as it makes people cling to hope to achieve what they want, chief of the world's football governing body said, adding that in personal life people can't allow repeated errors or losses, but in sport loss can be tolerated more than once in order to achieve victory, which means that hope is always there to reach success. The FIFA president said when he came to office in 1998, he found a program called 'Goal' specialized in providing infrastructure for national federations all over the world, adding that he contributed to this project and managed to grow FIFIA members to 208, with South Sudan only left as it recently seceded from Sudan. Blatter said he supported organizing the World Cup in Africa, which happened in 2010 when South Africa hosted the tournament. The World Cup will be staged for the first time in the Middle East when Qatar hosts it in 2022, after the 2014 tournament in Brazil and 2018 in Russia. (QNA)