By Dawn McCartie, Programme Leader for the MBA programme AFG College with the University of Aberdeen
"Where?"
"Qatar"
"Where's that?"
"Near Saudi Arabia”
Rewind 18 months and that was pretty much how every conversation went when I told people I was leaving England and moving abroad. Now, as the World Cup reaches its later stages Qatar is well and truly on the map.
There is no denying that some of the media coverage towards the country has been negative. With much of this coming from the UK media I am very aware of it, I hear it every day, my socials are full of people commenting with their own opinions (influenced by the media mainly!) but having lived here now for over a year I feel very defensive towards the country and the things being said as they don't reflect the country I live in and which I now call home.
This is not a political piece, purely my personal reflections on Qatar 2022 and its successes so far...
(1) Organisation - has been second to none. Ask residents 6 months ago how they thought it would go and many would have been nervous about it. However, the event has been so well organised that many mega event planners in the future will look back and ask Qatar's Supreme Legacy Committee for advice! From the eight stadiums, the infrastructure, the transport, the security, the volunteers, the hospitality, you name it everything has been excellent, thought through, rehearsed and revised in preparation for the millions of people descending on the small country
(2) Transport - residents were encouraged to drive to matches whilst visitors asked to use the public transport system. Those from the UK visiting may not have used a bus or tube at home before and wondered what they were coming to but they have been very pleasantly surprised! Brand new buses have been back and forward to venues and metro station's, with metro's getting fans around the country to the matches and fan festivals. They are spotlessly clean and the staff so helpful that it would be difficult for anyone to get lost (Google the Metro Man who has gone viral and now a mini celebrity!). The atmosphere at the stations has been fantastic, with hundreds of fans mixing together, celebrating football regardless of who they support. Add to that it's all free..yes free, not many other countries hosting mega sports events open up their transport network for free.
(3) Safety - I have never felt unsafe in Qatar, and as one of the safest countries in the world why would I? But even with millions of football fans, the busy venues, streets and metros it remains safe. There has been no trouble, no football hooligans as we see in other countries and tournaments. Matches have finished late yet people can walk freely with no fear of violence or trouble.
(4) Bringing people together - Qatar is a very hospitable country, this has been seen in this World Cup. People from all over the world have come together, regardless of their colour, religion, culture, gender, or team. Locals have been out in the streets after matches offering snacks, they have helped people when dressing up in their local attire to ensure headscarves are correct, they have set up tents in various locations to welcome people in and tell them about their culture and religion. It's so great to see how football can have such a positive effect on people and communities and bring everyone together
(5) The weather - much has been said about playing in the desert heat and humidity, and that's even with the tournament being put back to the "cooler" months. Whilst this is something outside of anyone's control the stadiums and many venues outside around the country have been built with air conditioning to help the players and fans. Matches went late into the night, with 7pm and 10pm starts to help with this further, and at last night's match I was cold, yes cold...in Qatar!
In a nutshell Qatar 2022 has far exceeded my expectations, it's been a tournament of football shocks with the likes of Brazil being knocked out and Morocco the first African nation to get through to a Semi Final (well done to them!). It's given us such amazing memories, as a family, which we will always look back on fondly and treasure. Sadly England didn't make it to the Semi Finals but this English family are most definitely here to stay!
Well done Qatar!
By Stephen Fettes, Lecturer at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen
Stephen invited friends and family to Qatar to enjoy the FIFA World Cup tournament. What were their thoughts on their stay here?
I’ve lived and worked in Qatar for five years now, having started at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen when it first opened in September 2017. I’ve got to know the country quite well having travelled around extensively and I’ve met many local Qatari’s as well as a large number of others of differing countries, cultures and backgrounds, who also live and work here.
The World Cup tournament was a great opportunity for me to invite friends and family from back in England to come and see for themselves what Qatar is really like. The publicity in the British media has been far from favourable leading up to and during the tournament. The newspapers and TV back home have run many stories focusing on Qatar and picking on aspects of the country and the organisation of the tournament in order to criticise and undermine Qatar’s efforts to put on a successful World Cup. Many in the media seem intent on discouraging people from coming here to enjoy the occasion. Actually, as I remember, there were similar attempts to undermine Russia when they hosted the previous FIFA tournament in 2018.
Nevertheless, my son, a football-mad work colleague of his, my daughter, my sister, my brother-in-law and my niece have all come over to stay with me at various times during the tournament to go to games (mostly involving England), enjoy the fan zones, see the sights and sounds of Doha, and generally soak up the atmosphere of the country.
All my visitors have been absolutely knocked out by the hospitality and warmth of the welcome that they have received whilst here. They will have many interesting and funny tales to tell about their time spent in Qatar. Dune-bashing in a Landcruiser, riding a camel, meeting a falcon, buying souvenirs, and eating in the souk and of course, cheering England to their inevitable exit in the football.
They have been mightily impressed by the organisation and atmosphere in the stadiums, the helpfulness of the volunteers and staff, and the ease of getting in and out of the stadium car parks and fan zones. The comment often made is, “this has been the best-organised sporting festival ever”. Something of which, Qatar and its population should be justifiably proud.
Oh, and another thing. The weather has been perfect. Although, my family were shocked when it rained the other day - albeit for only 15 minutes. They really did not expect that! It’s snowing in London at the moment and the temperature was down to minus 5 degrees last night. As I write this my sister and brother-in-law are on the beach enjoying some sun before they travel back to freezing UK. I hope they packed some warm clothes in preparation for their return. Otherwise, they’ll get severe culture-shock – and frostbite!
