After much fanfare surrounding Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar’s national football team have been quietly establishing themselves as real contenders for the tournament. The New Arab finds out why fans may be in for a shock.
In December 2010, Qatar shocked the world by being selected as host for the 2022 World Cup. When the action finally kicks off next November, those who have not seen ‘The Maroon’ in action before may get another surprise: the national team is actually good.
There has been plenty of comments from European media outlets about, and questions asked to, the 2022 World Cup host about the safety of migrant workers who have been building the state-of-the-art stadiums that will feature 32 teams next November and December. There were also comments about Qatar’s football prowess. Before bidding for the World Cup, little was known. The tendency was, especially in Europe, to dismiss it.
There have been untold comments on social media complaining that the country of three million people has no football history. While such criticism is unfair, it is understandable that fans outside Europe knew nothing of the country’s football culture as it has never qualified for the World Cup
Hours after the original decision was made by the world governing body FIFA, former Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said that giving the tournament to Qatar was an “economic choice” and that the sport was the loser. The Guardian wrote back in 2014 that the country was “almost unknown and unnoticed in football until its World Cup bid grew formidable.”
There have been untold comments on social media complaining that the country of three million people has no football history. While such criticism is unfair, it is understandable that fans outside Europe knew nothing of the country’s football culture as it has never qualified for the World Cup or had any real impact in Asia. The 2022 tournament will be the first in modern history in which…