Australian organizers say FIFA president Sepp Blatter's weekend comments praising a bid by Doha, Qatar for the 2022 World Cup are a ``timely reminder'' of the need to remain focused on hosting the event.
On Saturday, Blatter praised the Doha bid's infrastructure and said the government's successful hosting of the 2006 Asian Games showed it was capable of organizing big international events.
Blatter did not openly endorse the Qatar bid, saying there was a long way to go before the hosts for 2018 and 2022 were announced in December. Australia has entered the running for 2018 and 2022.
On Monday, Football Federation Australia said Blatter's comments indicated ``what we already knew,'' that Australia is competing against a tough international field for the hosting rights.
