Marcel Desailly has praised the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) for its plans to provide the most compact tournament in FIFA World Cup™ history, describing them as 'unprecedented' and insisting the benefits will be felt by all.

The 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winner – who concluded his glittering playing career in Qatar – was speaking exclusively to sc.qa following a visit to Doha, where he received an update on the plans and progress being made in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™.

The former Marseille, AC Milan and Chelsea defender was particularly impressed with the compact tournament plans, which mean nobody will have to travel for more than one hour to reach a game – and fans will even be provided with the unique opportunity to watch two games in a single day.

"After seeing the plans, I am confident that Qatar will organise an amazing tournament," he said. "Players and fans will benefit from the compact tournament. The distances between the venues almost makes it feel as though it is in one city. This means nobody will have to endure long and expensive travel between games. This is unprecedented."

Desailly, who before retiring in 2006 saw out his playing days at Al Gharafa and Qatar Sports Club, also emphasised how accessible the tournament will be for more people than ever before. Qatar's central geographical position means the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ will be within four hours' flight for over two billion people. Something, Desailly says, will be another defining factor of the tournament's success.

"I think the fans will be the biggest winner due to Qatar's location in the centre of the globe. It means so many visitors can easily get here, people that may never have been able to attend before – and that is an amazing thing," he added.

Although appearing for France 116 times between 1993 and 2004, Desailly was born in Ghana, and saw first-hand the impact a FIFA World Cup™ can have on a region that has never had the honour of hosting before. Referring to the 2010 edition in South Africa, he recollected its impact on the entire continent, with millions across Africa famously uniting to support Ghana's spectacular run to the quarter-finals.

And he used the example of eight years ago as another reason why Qatar – and the Middle East – deserves its chance to host the game's most prestigious event.

"All countries have the right to host the greatest football tournament," he explained. "I am glad Africa was given the opportunity to organise the event and Russia is hosting this one – two places it has never been before. The Middle East has the right to organise it too."