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Manila - Top Asian players said they were looking forward to a "brilliant" 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Saturday despite the rows that have blown up over the tournament.
Prolific striker Nassir Al Shamrani and fellow Asian player of the year nominee Ismail Ahmed said the Gulf state fully deserved to host the event, shrugging off continuing controversies.
"I assure you that Qatar deserves to host World Cup 2022," Al Shamrani told a press conference for the three shortlisted players, which also includes Qatari Khalfan Ibrahim.
"This is proof enough that football in the Gulf has developed a lot. Qatar does not just represent the Gulf but also represents the Arab world and all Asian nations," added the Saudi striker.
A probe into the awarding of Qatar and Russia (2018) as World Cup hosts plunged FIFA into fresh controversy when investigator Michael Garcia said the world body had misrepresented his findings.
FIFA has come under pressure to publish the report in full, while the head of Germany's football league became the latest to demand the resignation of the world body's president, Sepp Blatter.
There is also uncertainty about the timing of the World Cup in tiny, resource-rich Qatar, after moves to avoid the desert summer by playing it in winter met stiff resistance.
But award nominee Ahmed, who plays for Al Sadd in UAE, told journalists: "It's an an honour for Arab (countries) and Asia. We wish to have a brilliant and excellent World Cup in 2022."
