FIFA World Cup 2022: Qatar booze ban has surprise silver lining
Qatar’s late call to ban alcohol in stadiums drew condemnation and ridicule, but it may have had a positive impact. And organisers of future World Cups are taking notice.
The appearance of Gianni Infantino on the giant screens briefly united supporters from England and Wales in Qatar.
They delivered their verdict on the FIFA president with a tremendous boo, providing not just a moment of perfect harmony but further evidence of a uniquely harmonious World Cup.
For fans in Qatar, it has been a strangely varied experience.
As well as the confiscation of rainbow coloured items and other forms of protest, it is difficult to admire the stunning architecture of the seven new stadiums when we know migrant workers lost their lives building them.
FIFA and their hosts were at pains on Tuesday to stress how even-handed they had been with a protester who invaded the pitch during Portugal’s encounter with Uruguay waving a rainbow flag and wearing a T-shirt saying “Save Ukraine” on the front and “Respect for Iranian woman [sic]” on the back. His sanction was limited to the removal of his Hayya card, an identification document required to attend further matches and travel free on the Metro.
FIFA, fan groups and the relevant authorities there may yet learn some valuable lessons from this World Cup. Far from dampening spirits, the 11th-hour ban on stadium beer sales is a policy many fans would like to see revisited.
Female fans, in particular, have spoken of preferring to be part of a more sober crowd. There was a brief disturbance in one hotel bar in Doha on Tuesday night but the atmosphere inside the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium could not have been more pleasant.
The British police officers here to support travelling fans, as well as the local authorities, are in no doubt that there is a direct correlation between limited access to alcohol and the fact that not a single English or Welsh fan was arrested after the first two rounds of the group stage. “It’s obvious,” Mark Roberts, the chief constable for Cheshire and the head of the UK Football Policing Unit, said. “Whether it’s with football or the rest of society, it is an indisputable fact that alcohol can have a negative impact on behaviour.”
Incidents involving any fans have been limited. Fighting erupted briefly between Argentina and Mexico supporters near the fan zone and there was a situation involving a drunk England fan which required the intervention of the Qatari police.
“But here’s the thing,” Roberts told The Times. “The police here dealt with it by simply getting his mates to take care of him.”
Roberts said the behaviour of the British has been “exemplary”. “We only had three arrests in Russia and here they have been really good,” he said. “We’ve had no problems.”
It certainly gives future tournament organisers something to consider. Indeed, this week senior British police officers met representatives from the USA, Canada and Mexico at the Mexican consulate in Qatar.
Armed with yet more knowledge, preparations for the 2026 World Cup are already under way.
– Matt Lawton, The Times
IS THIS A FRENCH PLOT TO TORPEDO AUSTRALIA?
The Socceroos path to the World Cup knockout stages just became a little trickier.
While Graham Arnold and his side will approach the match against Denmark with their sights set on a victory that will confirm their place in the Round of 16, they’ve also had the knowledge that a draw would almost certainly also extend their tournament.
The only thing that could upset that plan would be if Tunisia produced the boilover of the tournament and toppled defending champions France.
Seems impossible, right?
Perhaps. Or at least it felt that way until France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed he would make sweeping changes to rest his stars ahead of the knockout stages, having already confirmed the spot atop Group D.
“I have a lot of things to take into account … But yes, there will be changes,” Deschamps said.
“But I can’t tell you exactly how many, and I don’t want to tell the opponent how many because then Tunisia would be too comfortable.
“We are going through to the next round, that we know, so we don’t need to go out for the victory to get through even though of course if you look at the probabilities we are probably going to win the group.”
REVEALED: QATAR HAD THE BEST FANS MONEY CAN BUY
Qatar’s dismal World Cup campaign is over – a spectacular $341bn failure which closed with one final, embarrassing insult.
With a nation that had turned on its team after their 12-year World Cup build was finished inside just six days, and fearing a dismal crowd attendance for their final group match against the Netherlands, officials opened the gates to ensure there were not rows of empty seats.
By kick-off, and for the opening 20 minutes of play, the 68,895-capacity stadium had huge sections of empty seats – only for an influx to arrive after being given entry through the Hayya card, a fan ID that doubles as an international visa and gives free transport for users.
But never before has it granted entry to World Cup matches.
FAKE FANS MAKE SOME NOISE
Qatar were the first country to be eliminated after losing their first two games and Wednesday morning’s 2-0 defeat to the Dutch consigned them to the worst ever performance from a host nation in World Cup history.
Despite the poor results, the hosts have enjoyed the constant support of loud, passionate fans grouped in one part of the stadium and wearing maroon shirts with ‘Qatar’ written across the front.
But the New York Times reports that those fans have been paid to come from other countries and provide an atmosphere.
The ultras have been seen making a racket during games as they try to cheer on the Qatar players to cause an upset.
As many as 1,500 fans from Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria and Syria were flown out, provided free accommodation, food and match tickets as well as payment to attend games, according to the American newspaper.
They report that the foreign fans arrived as early as mid-October to rehearse chants and learn the Qatar national anthem in an attempt to replicate the ‘ultra culture’ seen across European countries.
One unnamed Lebanese ultra insisted that money was not the pure motivating factor for the fans who had been flown in to support the host nation.
They told the New York Times: “It is our duty to support an Arab country. We share the same language. We share the same culture. We are fingers on the same hand.
“We want to show the world something special. You will see something special.”
Many criticisms have been levelled at the Middle Eastern nation since they won the rights to host the 2022 World Cup.
One consistent comment is that the country lacked a fan culture seen in other countries who had previously hosted the tournament.
There was controversy before a single ball was even kicked after it was claimed that hundreds of “fake fans” had been paid to parade through Qatar in the days leading up to the opening match.
BRAZIL STAR CLAIMS CUP STADIUMS MAKING PLAYERS SICK
Man Utd star Antony reckons the airconditioning in Qatar’s stadiums is making him sick.
Speaking after Brazil qualified for the last 16 with a 1-0 win over Switzerland, Antony was asked about his struggles with illness so far in the tournament.
He said: “It was a bit difficult. I ended up having a bad feeling there for a few days that complicated me a bit.
“I’m recovering well and getting 100 per cent. It was more of a sickness, throat. It was the airconditioning.
“Not only me, but other players also had a cough and a bad throat.
“It’s very difficult for me to get sick, but I’m happy to be an important part of the team.
2500 ABUSIVE TEXTS: STAR TARGETED BY SICK BANNER SLUR
– Emily Benammar
The World Cup has not been short of controversy and a banner at Croatia’s clash with Canada has sickened fans after its meaning was revealed.
The two sides enjoyed some pre-match banter with Canada’s coach saying his side would ‘f*** them up’ when asked about how they would approach the clash against the 2018 defeated finalists.
Croatia’s media responded by mocking up a nude image of the Canada coach and using it on their front page.
But it turned very nasty during the match with a fan banner seemingly taunting Canada’s goalkeeper Milan Borjan over his past as a refugee during the Balkans War in the 90s.
The banner – of a John Deere tractor – featured the words “Knin 95, nothing runs like a Borjan”. The reference is to when the now 35-year-old fled his hometown in the mid-90s. The majority of those who escaped did so on tractors.
Borjan, who currently plays his football for Serbian side Red Star Belgrade, was born in Croatia in a small town called Knin. Back then the township was of Serbian ethnicity but is now in modern day Croatia.
In 1995 Borjan and his family were forced to flee during the Croatian War of Independence before moving to Canada with his family
“I have nothing to comment on that. They should work on themselves and their families, because they obviously have some frustration, so they come here to vent.
“These are children who show that they do not know what it is and how it was, that says everything about them. Kudos to the Croatia players. They behaved like gentlemen.”
Video footage from inside the stadium also showed Croatian fans chanting “Borjan is an Ustaše”, referring to the pro-Nazi regimen which exterminated Serbs, gypsies and Jews in Croatia and Bosnia in World War 2.
According to the Sun Borjan’s phone number was leaked to Croatia fans and after the match he received 2500 insulting texts.
Croatia fans held up this flag aimed at Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan.
— Sam Street (@samstreetwrites) November 27, 2022
"Knin 95 - Nothing runs like Borjan."
Knin is Borjan's hometown and the flag refers to the victory in the war over Serb separatists which saw Borjan and most Serbs from Croatia driven from their homes. pic.twitter.com/sH9JW9pOPD
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