Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Mohamed Bin Hammam has thrown his weight behind Qatar's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
The support of Qatari Bin Hammam, also a FIFA Executive Committee member, is a huge boost to the Gulf emirate, who are bidding to bring the world's biggest soccer tournament to the Middle East for the first time.
If, as widely expected, the World Cup goes to Europe in 2018, Qatar will be competing with South Korea, Japan, Australia and United States for the right to host the 2022 tournament.
"I have one vote ... and frankly speaking I will vote for Qatar, but if Qatar is not in the running I will vote for another Asian country," Bin Hammam told reporters on Tuesday at the Soccerex Asian forum in Singapore.
The winning bid, along with the host of the 2018 tournament, will be announced by FIFA in Switzerland in December.
Asia hosted its first World Cup in 2002 when South Korea and Japan co-hosted the tournament.
