Inside the Qatar control room watching over the World Cup

By ROB HARRIS
AP Global Soccer Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The command center in Qatar for the upcoming World Cup is all quiet and calm. By November, however, it will be at the heart of operations for the most high-profile sporting event to be staged in the Middle East. The Associated Press has a first look inside one of the key locations overseeing security and logistics. As a screen with the map of Qatar shows starkly, the World Cup is being staged in the most compact setting ever. All eight stadiums being monitored from this room on the outskirts of Doha are within a 30-mile radius of the capital of this energy-rich Gulf nation. The control room is part of the required major upgrade in infrastructure Qatar had to undertake after winning the FIFA hosting vote in 2010 to prepare for an unprecedented influx of supporters.