Surprising remarks … The UAE officially recognizes that they apologized to Qatar

Mohammed Khalfan Al-Rumaithi, head of the UAE's General Sports Authority, said his country, Kuwait and Bahrain, were likely to participate in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup.

"If the crisis is resolved, we will gladly help Qatar organize the World Cup, but if the crisis persists, we will not be able to help the world," he said. It. "

He explained that the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman have large clubs and infrastructure tailored to the needs of the World Cup organization, if this is allowed by the United Nations. International Football Association (FIFA).

FIFA will decide next month whether Qatar will participate or host the tournament with the Gulf countries alone.

The United Arab Emirates hosted this year's Asian Cup, won by Qatar, and both teams ended up in a semi-final match in which Qatar won a draw.

The game was tainted by unethical behavior on the part of UAE supporters, who threw shoes and bottles at Qatar players. But Al-Rumaithi said the scenes did not represent Emirati fans, pointing out that he had apologized to the Qatari federation officials.

Al-Rumaithi said at the opening of the "Sports Leaders Summit" in Abu Dhabi a month ago that his country and neighboring countries are ready to host matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar if the diplomatic crisis in Doha ends. .

"Unfortunately, the crisis in the Gulf started a year ago and we will not be able to do anything if the crisis is not resolved," Rumaithi said.

"The president of the international federation, Gianni Infantino, is trying to convince Kuwait.He is going to Oman today.If the problem is solved, Saudi Arabia has two big stadiums in Abu Dhabi where Zayed Sports City can host group games.

Last month, Infantino told the United Arab Emirates that FIFA was studying the possibility of extending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams. He added at a sports conference in Dubai that FIFA was also examining how the Gulf countries could help Qatar.

The Gulf region is experiencing the worst crisis in its history, which began on June 5, 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar and imposed "punitive measures" on the grounds that they supported terrorism.