”C all it sheer luck or astute planning, we landed right in the middle of the watching world. The center piece of the world’s largest sporting spectacle that attracts the attention of even the naysayers. Yes, we got to witness the football matches in person at the ongoing FIFA Football World Cup 2022 in the Gulf nation of Qatar. It is once in a lifetime opportunity that was a Dream come True.
For starters, the world’s biggest sports extravaganza being held in one of the smallest countries in the world is a statement filled with apprehension, accusation, confusion, dilemma, political vendetta, and the big question mark: How on earth will Qatar manage to hold such a magnanimous event.
To lay bare a few of the ambiguousness: The ticket booking and the accommodation confirmation was a seamless procedure that can be booked online on the official FIFA website. No hassles, no confusion, just follow the instructions to the T. Once your match tickets get confirmed, you can apply for the Hayya card. The Hayya card acts like a VISA, which is mandatory to ensure entry into the country. The Hayya card is also required for an entry into the stadium on match days. There were no requirements of COVID negative certificate or COVID vaccination certificate.
Myself and my friend, Mayur made this voyage to witness the extravaganza. On our long duration flight into the country and for infrequent flyers like us, we obviously needed to use the lavatory. Mayur was amused with the inflight latrine which resembled more like a misfit mini spacecraft with a pandoras box. The lavatory encompasses all the modern cutting-edge technology and it takes time for the user to find their way around the sophisticated systems. The moment he opened the door, the place seemed to finish as soon as it started. The design complexity and the functionality perplexed Mayur. The flush made a boisterous noise that seemed to declare to all the passengers of its inmate. The place for tissues and the eventual disposal of these is as secretive as a magician’s hat.
After landing within the country, and passing through immigration, the first pleasant sight is that there were kiosks inside the airport that were offering SIM cards for all the FIFA football fans. One only needed to show their Hayya card copy and voila, you were handed a SIM card to be used within the country. The data, local talktime, SMS were all available. With our worries on how to connect back home being addressed, we moved out of the airport towards our place of stay.
First thing we noticed is that the inter country travel is unrestricted for all the Football fans who had a valid Hayya card. Be it Metro trains, shuttle buses or trams – any mode of transport across the length and breadth of the country was unhindered.
For the FIFA World Cup, the infrastructure has been developed on a massive scale in Qatar. Right from automated driverless metros which connect not only to all the World Cup stadium venues, but cover all the major cities across the country. From the metro stations, there are Air-conditioned feeder shuttle buses which take you right near the doorsteps of your desired destinations. These state-of-the art buses are also equipped with mobile charging points, the advantage of which was duly taken by Mayur, as he tried to find these charging points in every bus that we entered, to keep our navigation lifeline alive.
FIFA fan festival zones have been set up near the major city centers across Qatar. Here the matches are screened live on a big screen. There is live music and dance that begins at dusk and the festive atmosphere goes right up till mid night. There are numerous kiosks for fan to indulge in activities such as Zip line, Fusball tables, face painting desks, various brands advertising and unveiling their new products on offer, a FIFA museum showcasing the history of world cup, FIFA merchandising store as well as plenty of snacks and drink counters. You can be rest assured that one will never get bored of exploring the place.
There is one particular destination that was on our bucket list. We wanted to visit the famous STADIUM 974. The stadium has been built with 974 containers only. Group stage and round of 16 matches were held at this venue. The interesting fact of this stadium is that once the games are complete, the entire stadium will be dismantled and the containers will be reused for other purposes. In a way, this stadium will be recycled. It houses a capacity crowd of 40,000 fans. 974 is the country code of Qatar and the reason why this number was chosen. The sight is to behold as one can clearly see the marvels of engineering.
THE MATCH EXPERIENCE
As we moved through the paces across the country, it was game time. Among the couple of matches that we witnessed; we were particularly looking forward to watch the Portugal vs Switzerland round of 16 match as it was to be held at the largest stadium in Qatar – The iconic Lusail stadium. The stadium capacity is a whopping 90,000 people. The stadium is in Lusail City. We took the metro to reach the venue. As we neared the stadium, the view was breathtaking. It looked like a colossal hat dazzling with fluorescent and neon lights. The entry to the stadium is as smooth as cheese. After the security checks, we move closer to the stadium. From close range, the stadium towers over you. Outside the stadium it is a festive atmosphere. There are plenty of snacks and drink centers, FIFA merchandising stores, lots of stage shows, artists showcasing their talents, face painting desks. There were counters which were offering free country flags for the fans to take with them to support their favorite teams.
And finally, we entered the stadium. The first thing that amazed us was the magnanimity of the Lusail stadium. The sheer size of it will intimidate the onlookers. It stretches from ground upto 8 storied high building. From the top tier, the view of the stadium is spectacular. The lush green ground, the center of all the attention soared over on all sides by the stadium. Deafening music blared across venue. The next thing that surprised us was the Air conditioning inside the stadium which was at full blast so much so that we had to keep our wind sheeters on to keep warm.
Portugal vs Switzerland seemed a promising match up. We were all looking forward to get a glimpse of the super human and incredibly gifted footballing sensation Christiano Ronaldo. Just then before the start of the match, news drifted in that CR7 would start on the bench. The sheer disappointment of not being able to watch him play writ large on our faces. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch him play, and it would not be happening. We still harbored hope that he might be substituted sometime in the game if Portugal found the going tough against the Swiss.
The players warmed up, did their drills. We were all excited for the game to begin. The traditional routine of national anthems of both the countries rang out across the stadium. And the kick-off began. As soon as the game started, the noise decibels amplified. Crowd were getting themselves into the game. As the game went on, the Mexican wave got the crowd into a frenzy.
And just like that Portugal scored the first goal of the game. The crowd became raucous. The stadium reverberated celebrating the goal with the players.
Sitting there amidst a vociferous crowd of 90,000, it was surreal. I had to pinch myself to ensure this was no dream. I was watching the football world cup live in person and got to witness a goal as well. Little did we know the drama that unfolded next.
By halftime, Portugal had scored 3 unanswered goals and were well on their way to an easy victory. The chances of Ronaldo coming on as a sub was dwindling. The game once again restarted with Portugal firmly looking in control. Within no time they had 2 more goals to their kitty. By now Portugal were cruising 5-1. The crowd although ecstatic was starting to get anxious. That is when a huge roar and chants of “Roooonaalddoooooo” resounded across the vast breadth of the stadium. Probably the Coach heard the crowd, he finally brought CR7 on to the field with about 15 minutes. Seeing the superstar coming on to the field, the crowd went delirious. The noise decibels rocketed to seismic levels. The roof almost came off the stadium.
Every touch of the ball and there was a roar from the crowd in anticipation. The atmosphere inside was electric. We got goosebumps. This was like no other match experience. Imagine a crowd of 90,000 screaming, shouting, beating the drums with their favorite superstar plying his trade in flesh infront of them. Those inside the arena willing to see some old magic from the Portuguese maestro.
Ronaldo did score the goal, only for the referee to blow the whistle for offside. The crowd were already celebrating. The boos rang out over the referee’s decision. He was awarded a free kick and the build up to it was in sheer anticipation. Ronaldo only managed to hit the wall. At the end Portugal comfortably outran the Swiss by 6 goals to 1. At the final whistle, Ronaldo applauded the crowd and left, probably his last appearance at the world cup.
Ronaldo being on the field and playing is what the crowd wanted to see and got what they wanted. The experience was mind blowing. One of the boxes ticked in the wish list. As we moved out of the stadium, it festive atmosphere outside took on an even grandeur turn. The fans claimed huge swathes of Lusail stadium. The party only moved outside, the drums and horns providing a back track that was going on well into the night. There were flash mobs where music from various countries were being played and people rhythmically danced to the unknown lyrics. The organization was so well thought out and responsibly managed, that even though 90,000 moved out of the stadium at once, it did not feel like a stampede or rush. The crowd flowed smoothly without any hiccups to their destinations.
We also got to move around the country a fair bit. A once desert nation has been transformed dramatically. A Venice like place – Qatar Qartier has been literally built for tourists to stay and live in the country. There is the Pearl Qatar, aka the Palm Jumairah of Dubai. Other attractions include the Souq Wakif and Gold Wakif markets – traditional Arabic styled markets which livens up during the night and anything and everything is available under the midnight sun.
Other attractions include the Museum of Qatar, Corniche Centre, Massive shopping malls such as Villagio, Doha Festival City and Mall of Qatar. There is also the unforgettable Desert Safari, a ride amongst the sand dunes of Qatar.
As we bid adieu to Qatar, we will forever be great full that the World Cup was held so close to India enabling us a chance to witness the grandest stage of them all.
Thank You Doha..Hayya Hayya Qatar.
1 Comment
Thanks.