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CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
SOUTH Africa with its experience of hosting FIFA World Cup can help Qatar manage crowds in a better way during the 2022 World Cup, South African Ambassador to Qatar HE Shirish M Soni said in Doha on Wednesday.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of an event to host visiting South African Under-19 football team at the embassy, the ambassador said that South Africa can also offer valuable suggestions on how to use stadiums after the World Cup.
Soni said that these issues were part of discussion during the recent visits of the Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and HE the Minister of Foreign Affairs to South Africa.
According to the ambassador, South African Ministry of Police and security forces are well-equipped to manage big events and crowds and to mitigate risks associated with it.
"Our newly appointed Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, is ready to visit Qatar and share his experience in this regard with stakeholders in Qatar. The ministry has a special unit dedicated for this purpose," the ambassador said. He added that South Africa can also extend its help in training the police force through Qatar's Police Academy to ensure an incident-free World Cup.
In fact, Qatar and South Africa have signed a cooperation agreement in Police Administration.
Furthermore, the ambassador said that to make the World Cup stadiums viable, South Africa has been hosting big events in them and can share with Qatar its experiences in this regard.
"We are holding a number of events in the open stadiums, for example, and we can share it with Qatar," he remarked.
Talking about the football team which is from Cape Flats Football Academy, the ambassador said that the tour is meant to introduce Qatari and South African students to each other and can lead to stronger ties between the two countries.
