KPMG in Qatar sign MoU to support 2022 FIFA World Cup legacy planning

KPMG in Qatar will collaborate on research, education and training with the agency responsible for overseeing infrastructure development for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, after the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

Under the agreement, KPMG in Qatar will work with the Supreme Committee’s Centre of Excellence for Sports and Events Industries – the Josoor Institute – which was established in 2013 in line with country’s National Vision 2030 diversification agenda to build sport and event sector capacity in Qatar and the MENA region through training, certification, consultancy and research.

Inspired by the awarding of Qatar as host-nation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Josoor Institute’s core objectives are to develop a talent pool capable of successfully delivering the world soccer showcase, along with, as a catalyst for sustainable industry growth, future local and regional events on a world-class scale – minimising the need for international support.

Kenan Nouwailati, KPMG in Qatar’s Head of Management Consulting since late last year, said, “We are extremely proud to be working with the SC and JI to develop the sports industry in the country as part of this MOU. By drawing on KPMG’s locally-based professionals and access to experienced Sports Advisory experts from around the world, we hope to make a major contribution towards Qatar’s ability to host and deliver major sporting events.”

Executive Director at Josoor Institute, Afraa Al Noaimi, who previously managed human resources for national SME advisory Enterprise Qatar, responded in kind; “It is a great honour for the SC to collaborate with a prestigious partner such a KPMG. I am confident that together with their expertise in the Middle East and their global experience they will be able to share international best practises and innovative techniques to grow Qatar’s sports and events industries through Josoor Institute.”

Through the collaboration, the Josoor Institute will be able to tap into KPMG’s global support network, in particular the Big Four firm’s specialised Sports Advisory practice – which is led by 50 partners and nearly 1,000 dedicated sporting industry consultants worldwide (while the Qatar arm of KPMG employs over 250 professionals). One such advantage could be through the introduction of the practice’s Football Benchmark, a knowledge and research platform and operations tool to enhance decision-making for industry stake-holders.

A further area of focus for KPMG’s global Sports Advisory practice, in addition to supporting, among others, administrators, investors, clubs, leagues, and even individual athletes with career pathway mapping, is in respect to legacy planning for country and city hosts of major international sporting events – a particular emphasis for Qatar and one which earlier this year drew praise from the President of the Icelandic Football Association and former Iceland international and Bolton defender Guðni Bergsson.

“Everything has been extremely well thought out, from a tournament point of view and a social point of view,” said Bergsson on touring the Supreme Committee’s Legacy Pavilion at Al Bidda Tower in Doha, “Qatar has really thought about how the World Cup can benefit the country and the region in the long-term. I now see the Qatar World Cup in a much clearer light and I’m very much looking forward to it.”