The 2022 World Cup will begin on November 20 in Qatar and end on December 18 in Doha. 100 days from the opening ceremony and the inaugural match, RMC Sport details the journey that awaits supporters during the competition.
A CLOSED COUNTRY DURING THE WORLDS
Most countries that host an international event take the opportunity to try to attract tourists from all over the world. But with a total area of 11,571 km² (that of France is 543,940 km²), Qatar has chosen to do things differently for its World Cup. It’s simple, access to Qatari territory will not be authorized for people who do not hold a ticket or accreditation for a World Cup match. To visit Qatar during the tournament, a family must for example ensure that all of its members each have a place for a meeting. A member of this family does not have a ticket, access to the territory will be prohibited according to the elements confirmed to RMC Sport by the organizers. Tickets purchased by supporters are all linked to the information of the buyers with their hotel and their Fan ID. A control which makes it possible to manage the number of foreign nationals on the territory during the 28 days of competition. At the microphone of RMC Sport, a supporter of the France team shared his joy and his impatience to discover Qatar… even if he fears to have quickly gone around it on the sidelines of the three group matches of the Blues. “Today everything is closed. We have match tickets, accommodation, even if it was complicated everything is closed and the tickets are reserved. We only want to leave, slips Yannick Vanhee, who will attend his seventh World Cup. [Un Mondial différent ?] Yes because there is not much to do in the country already. We will try to go to nearby countries. The alcohol aspect is on the public highway. We at home will have everything we need, we will have barbecues with friends, we will have an aperitif.
ALCOHOL ALLOWED ONLY IN CERTAIN AREAS
Like this fan of the France team, many supporters expressed their concern at the idea of not being able to drink alcohol during the World Cup in Qatar in order to respect the Islamic law in force in the country. country. In order to get away with this hot file, the authorities have therefore shown a certain flexibility. It is certain, fans will be able to consume alcohol in the country but not anywhere and certainly not in the streets of Doha. Alcohol will be available in hotel bars and restaurants as well as in fan zones set up around the country “to respect Qatari culture and traditions”. In 2019, during the Club World Cup in Doha with nearly 45,000 supporters, alcoholic drinks were available at an average price of €6.20 for a drink in the fan zones. The Supreme Committee is still working with FIFA and all stakeholders on solutions that will ensure supply for all. Some elements remain awaiting confirmation in the coming weeks.
“DECENT” ATTIRE REQUIRED BUT NO VEIL IMPOSED
The Qatari authorities should be more conciliatory with the supporters during the World Cup than with its inhabitants the rest of the year. But if the law in force in the country does not impose a strict dress code, there are government “guidelines” related to “common decency”. Standards that are therefore likely to be undermined by the massive influx of international fans who are used to dressing as they see fit. Clearly, barring a bad surprise or overzealousness, yes it will be possible to wear a tight tank top or crop tops if you go to Qatar. Similarly, and contrary to a cliché that persists in states where Islamic law reigns, wearing the veil is not compulsory for women in Qatar. For those who doubted it, the recent Peru-Australia and Costa Rica-New Zealand intercontinental dams were a good reminder of this.
SEXUAL RELATIONS WILL NOT BE MONITORED
Among the other reasons for concern for supporters, that of sex outside marriage has sparked a lively controversy in recent months. But quickly, the organizers launched firefights to calm things down. Certainly, in the law of Qatar, it is written that two unmarried people do not have the right to sleep together and then risk 7 years in prison. But the reality is very different. The authorities repeat this sentence over and over once more: “In November, come as you are”. Asked regarding this by RMC Sport during 2022, most of the inhabitants of the capital have the same reaction: they draw their mobile phone to show the dating applications. A proof, according to them, of the opening of the country and the progressive change of mentalities. “We are not going to come and open your room and lift the duvet,” confides a receptionist at a hotel in Doha. For its part, FIFA assures that Qatar “will respect the privacy” of supporters. The country, which wants to ride the World Cup wave to become a tourist destination in the Middle East, knows that it is forbidden to make mistakes during this 2022 World Cup.
LGBTQ+ SUPPORTERS WELCOME, NOT THEIR DEMANDS
Like Australian Josh Cavallo, who has become a symbol of the LGBTQ+ cause in sport following coming out, some homosexuals have shared their concerns regarding going to Qatar. If homosexuality is an offense punishable by imprisonment. But here once more, the Gulf country might take advantage of the World Cup to show greater tolerance. Nasser al-Khater, the director of Qatar 2022, even claimed that the small emirate “is committed to ensuring that the tournament is open to everyone, regardless of their religion, race, gender and sexual orientation. “. Questioned by the Associated Press agency in early April, the head of security for Qatar 2022, General Abdullah al-Ansari, spoke of the promotion of non-normative sexual orientations and gender identities during the World Cup. “If a supporter waves a rainbow flag in a stadium and it is taken away from him, it will not be because we want to offend him, but to protect him, he said. If we do not does not, another spectator might attack him. If you wish to express your point of view concerning the LGBT cause, do it in a society where it will be accepted […] but don’t come and insult a whole society with that.”
130,000 HOUSING EXPECTED IN QATAR
Finally, and this is certainly the ultimate major issue for the organizers to settle: how to accommodate tens or even hundreds of thousands of supporters during the World Cup. 100 days before the opening of the World Cup, 100,000 places are already available to accommodate fans from all over the world. A total which should reach 130,000 places by the start of the competition in November according to the elements put forward by the Supreme Committee to RMC Sport. “The problem with this World Cup is that there is very little communication. People were scared. The sale of match tickets took place in April and people did not know if they were going to be able to be housed, explained Yannick Vanhee, who will make the trip to support the Blues in Qatar. Many people have therefore thrown in the towel when we have managed to have almost normal prices. Qatar has blocked the prices so we doesn’t fare so badly. It’s 80 euros per person a night.” In order to better digest the flow of supporters during the World Cup, Qatar wants above all to rely on its neighbors in order to increase its hotel capacity. More than 150 daily connections with neighboring countries. It remains to be seen whether football fans will be ready to stay only a few days there, in a World Cup atmosphere, before heading to another destination. A real change in habits