World football governing body, FIFA’s first-ever World Cup to be played in the Winter (November-December) as against its traditional Summer (June-July) schedule finally kicked, Sunday, amid setbacks for both visiting fans and football’s continental bodies alike.
Aside the disrupted leagues of various continental football bodies, the issue of supporting two ‘pre-season’ breaks within one season is unusual to say the least. This is also momentum is also affected for many clubs.
The first-ever World Cup in the Gulf region of the world did eventually go underway, Sunday afternoon, with the host country Qatar losing the opening match to South American nation, Ecuador by 0-2, even with a goal disallowed by VAR decision for the South Americans.
However, the football tournament has attracted an unusually high attention bit for non-football reasons, aside of course the several high-profile injuries to stars who would ordinarily have lightened up the fiesta.
On the pitch on opening matchday, it was a former English Premier League star and West Ham forward Enner Valencia who scored a first half brace to sink hosts Qatar, as the hosts came into the match with a dark cloud hanging over them with off-field issues, especially about how they were handed hosting rights for the tournament making headlines.
And it seemed like the off-field issues affected the players as the away team dominated the match from start to finish. Ecuador’s Captain Enner Valencia thought he had put the away side ahead when he headed into an empty net in the 2nd minute but VAR ruled the goal out with teammate Michael Estrada caught by the tightest of offsides.
However, the stalemate did not last long as Valencia, who had been lively from the first minute, converted from the spot, giving the South Americans a much-deserved lead.
The South Americans looked comfortable in possession, with Brighton and Albion midfielder Moses Caicedo pulling the strings from the middle of the pack.
Qatar could and should have pulled one back when dangerman Almoez Ali found himself unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box deep into the first half. However, his tame header went wide off the left post of Goalkeeper Hernan, ensuring the away team went into the break with a comfortable lead.
The South Americans, participating in their 4th World Cup, demonstrated maturity in defence, restricting their opponents to half-chances.
Outside the football arena, however, which have earned Qatar the least of rave reviews for a FIFA World Cup host nation, visiting fans are being handed a long list no-dos to avoid when in the Gulf nation for the football tournament.
For the arriving fans across the globe, there are several items/substances which are prohibited or banned in Qatar. Breach of the local laws/banned items could lead to serious consequences for fans, including risking jail time.
Amongst the list of items, includes E-cigarettes, vapes, pork products, duty-free alcohol, religious books, narcotic drugs, pornographic material and others.
However, the fans will also be able to enjoy the build-up to the matches with beer available three hours before and an hour post-kickoff. Alcohol will also be available in hotels across Doha but would be hugely expensive.
Thousands of fans will be flying into Qatar during the World Cup and every visitor must have the mandatory Hayya Card, which is required to enter the host nation. It also gives access to all eight stadiums and can be used for free travelling on matchdays.
Filming and photographing sensitive areas, such as religious, military or construction sites, can lead to arrests and imprisonment.
Laws of privacy are very strict in Qatar. Hence fans should be sensitive towards posting anything on social media which may be considered insulting or culturally inappropriate and can be considered a criminal offence under local law.
Several other fan behaviours can lead to arrests, such as drinking outside the designated areas, betting, swearing, smoking, public displays of affection, and others.