Doha
- The journalist Saad Al-Rumaihi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Center for Journalism, is considered the pioneer of Qatari sports journalism and a witness to the era of sports and Arab and international media.
His start as a player in the sixties of the last century helped him to be a distinguished sports journalist, then the editor-in-chief of Al-Saqr magazine, which was published by Qatar in the seventies and achieved great success at the level of the Arab world. After that, Al-Rumaihi assumed the position of director of Qatar TV.
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He conducted many press and television interviews with international sports stars, followed most of the world championships from stadiums for 4 consecutive decades, and met many world leaders.
Al-Jazeera Net met Saad Al-Rumaihi in his council in Doha, and the following dialogue took place:
Saad Al-Rumaihi with Nasser Sadiq, Al-Jazeera Net correspondent (Al-Jazeera)
We start from where we left off and the 2022 World Cup. How was Qatar able to turn this dream into reality and become the first Arab and Middle Eastern country to win the honor of organizing the FIFA World Cup on its soil?
Through my experience in life and my accompaniment to my master, His Highness the Father Prince;
For many years, he always thought that Qatar would be the capital of world sports, not just Arab, hence the idea of organizing major tournaments that began in 1982 when he thought that Qatar would organize the Asian Games one day, which actually happened in 2006, and was preceded by hosting Doha for the FIFA World Youth Cup in 1995, which was the start towards world championships.
For myself, I used to see organizing the FIFA World Cup as a distant dream, but with will, determination and determination, Qatar was able, thanks to God and then thanks to those in charge of this file, to gain the world’s conviction that this young country is capable of organizing a major tournament like the 2022 World Cup, and the dream came true in December 2, 2010, when the FIFA President announced that Qatar won this great honor, and this is an honor for us, Arabs and Muslims, especially since we are in the Arab world.
However, Qatar was able to break into this field as if it wanted to compensate for the loss suffered by the Arab nation in the previous stages in making the 2022 World Cup an Arab championship, and as His Highness the Emir said in his press interview with Al Jazeera that day that this is a "championship". All Arabs, not the Qatar Championship.
And if we rejoiced today in the World Cup, God willing, we will one day rejoice in organizing the Olympics, with God’s grace and success.
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Do you think that Qatar's next goal is to host the Summer Olympics?
Yes, and we previously submitted the organization file twice, but we were not able to win them for a wisdom that the Lord of the Worlds knows, but I always see that Qatar is able to storm the fields and organize all tournaments with its conscious leadership, will, determination and youth, so I see that after the FIFA World Cup, organizing the Olympics will be a national demand And necessary.
Qatar has all the capabilities to organize the Olympics;
The Asian Games were previously organized in 2006 and will be organized again in a few years for the second time. We are able, with God’s grace and success, to organize any global event, including the Olympics, and I have a deep belief, God willing, that in the third time we will win the organization of this tournament and achieve An Arab Olympiad as well, just as we achieved the first Arab World Cup.
What are your expectations for the Qatar team?
Who is closest to winning the 2022 World Cup?
Of course, I wish our national team and the Arab teams success and brilliance, God willing.
But to be realistic, there are big teams with rich experiences in the stadiums that include big stars and have very strong leagues. I think they will have a great deal in this tournament, and if the Qatar national team and also the Arab teams manage to reach the second round of the World Cup, I will be very happy.
Although I am a fan of English football and Manchester United, as for my personal expectations, I see that the most worthy of the teams that includes a constellation of the most prominent stars is the French national team, but I also see that the biggest and most fortunate competitor in the World Cup is Brazil, so I expect that the coronation will be limited to Brazil and France.
How do you see the heated attack that has increased in recent days against Qatar due to its hosting of the 2022 World Cup?
And what is your response to it?
I think this is normal, and I personally am not in pain because I am fully aware that the West does not and will not recognize that there is a Third World country, especially an Arab and Islamic country, that will be able to organize the World Cup, as they see themselves as the masters of football who have the right to organize this tournament They are the ones who have all the ingredients to make this tournament a success, so they look down on such countries as not having the right to organize a major World Cup.
There are committees that evaluate the work and they are the ones that can pass judgment on whether the state is able to organize the World Cup or not, and it is our reference, not paying attention to the press and what it writes.
I believe that it is a whirlwind that arises from time to time for many reasons, unfortunately, all of which are political or far from logic, while the reality says the opposite. Most of the observers, journalists and writers who visited Qatar and witnessed these achievements on the ground during the past ten years confirmed the competence of this young country to organize the next World Cup.
I also see that the convoy proceeded and the march continued, and we only have a few days left and the whistle blows for the first match in the 2022 World Cup, by God’s grace and success. Therefore, I demand that you not pay attention to these slanders that are being circulated in the Western media, and I see that the next World Cup will win and the world will be dazzled and happy after To watch the most beautiful World Cup in the history of the World Cup tournaments.
Falcon Magazine
You were the editor-in-chief of Al-Saqr magazine, which achieved wide fame on the Arab level in the seventies and eighties of the last century. What is the secret of its great success, from your point of view?
I believe that the secret of its success was the same secret enjoyed by the popular Al-Jazeera news channel, which is "credibility". When we wanted to focus on Qatari sports activity, we added a special local appendix of only 10 pages.
We were keen on a balance between all Arab countries, which made the Arab reader in any country feel that the magazine spoke for him and his favorite stars.
Therefore, if you follow the magazine at that stage, you will find all the stars of football and Arab sports games on the cover and the front pages. We also presented "posters" with their pictures as a gift to gain the trust of Arab readers. Therefore, the Falcon was a soft, athletic force that broke into people's hearts and managed to control them through a meal. The fat sports she used to offer them, whether they were readers, players, coaches, or even referees.
Al-Saqr magazine, then Al-Jazeera Sports, which turned into "BN Sport", how was Qatar able to make these sports media experiences a success, which has become a pioneer on the Arab and regional levels?
May God love Qatar, with a wise leadership, a sincere Arab national leadership that believes in the causes of its Arab nation, and has never been stingy in offering anything.
Since the seventies and eighties of the last century, Qatar has presented successful journalistic projects in various fields, including: Al-Saqr magazine, Doha magazine in the field of culture, and Al-Ummah magazine in the religious field.
When the rhythm of life developed, Qatar launched beautiful satellite channels, both in terms of news, as it launched Al-Jazeera channel, as well as Al-Jazeera Documentary, then beautiful variety programs on Qatar TV and Qatar Radio. In the field of sports, it launched Al-Jazeera Sports Channel, which turned into “BN Sports” and Al-Kass Channel;
All of this has brought to the Arab masses the great credibility that these media outlets enjoy and enabled them to be in the hearts of the people after they have become a great place in their hearts. and the Arab world.
And here I am not going to talk about this issue, but rather it is the reality today, so who stands with the besieged people of Gaza other than Qatar?
Who supports the causes of poor Arab countries?
In all facilities, Qatar was at the forefront.
Can an experience like Al-Saqr magazine return and achieve the same great success?
Today, unfortunately, times have changed and circumstances have changed, and the number of publications is decreasing greatly, and this does not prevent that Al-Saqr magazine left a very beautiful legacy and impact on the hearts of readers, and I meet many people who remind me of the magazine, and I have many followers on Instagram who always mention Al-Saqr magazine and demand its return again But I think this is not the time for magazines and the time for publications, as I said earlier.
As for myself, I am a lover of publications and a lover of paper, stationery and pen, and I still write with them, and I still follow them and keep books and buy magazines. I do not like reading online and always read through the paper that I touch with my hand.
Unfortunately, times have changed and so have circumstances, and the current generation no longer follows these publications on the ground, and is satisfied with social networking sites and websites.
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