The World Cup held in Qatar was by all accounts a successful and memorable event in which no untoward incident took place. Holding such a big event in a small town was definitely a big challenge.
The biggest advantage for Qatar was that it had 12 years to prepare for the World Cup. In 2009, Qatar won the hosting bid and thus in these 12 years, Qatar had prepared a good plan. Investments were also made abundantly, and thus they hosted the most expensive World Cup.
It was a very different World Cup compared to the 2 World Cups I had covered before. If I compare, I didn't have time as a journalist in this World Cup because, in Qatar World Cup 4, 4 matches were played in one day, and normally it doesn't happen.
It was also a unique experience for the fans as they could watch more than 2 matches in a single day at the stadium. But the unique thing for the journalists was that they could also go to the stadium to cover 2 group matches in a day, and this facility was not available in any World Cup before.
The main reason for this was that since Qatar has a small area and all the stadiums were located within the boundaries of Doha, Qatar was allowed to play 4 matches in a day. So that was one difference that made the Qatar World Cup different from the previous World Cups.
But as easy as it sounds to say and hear to hold 4 matches in a day, the reality is against it. It was a huge challenge for the entire management as they had to immediately focus on the next match after one match, and this had never happened before, so it was a unique experience.
I have also covered the World Cups in Brazil and Russia, and the clear difference I found between Qatar and the last World Cup was that the local people in Qatar did not have the same passion for the World Cup as the people in Brazil and Russia...
The reason for this could also be that there are not so many public places, so the excitement that happens during the World Cup was not felt, i.e. The whole country is enthralled by the World Cup. Yes, banners and posters were displayed everywhere, but I did not see the unique enthusiasm of the people during the FIFA World Cup in the people of Qatar.
Apparently, Qatar is not a country where people are crazy about football. Here Qatari people, even if they came to watch the match, were quietly using their phones and sometimes left without watching the entire match.
It means that people here were not so much interested in the game of football. That's why 'fan culture' is not visible here. In Qatar, not the whole country was behind this event, but only its leadership. Therefore, the atmosphere of this World Cup felt quite different from the atmosphere of other World Cups due to the lack of interest of the local people.
I went to Qatar for the World Cup group draws in April this year. I also wrote on the subject that I find Qatar to be quite an unusual host country. This is what I wrote in my writing that I fear that there will hardly be a World Cup frenzy and it happened. I did not find a passion for the World Cup among the people there. It was a World Cup where only football was played and nothing happened off the field.
Yes, the Fan fest had the atmosphere I was looking for, but the typical shop, cafe, or mall didn't make it obvious that the country was hosting the World Cup.
When it comes to arrangements, they were excellent. World-class stadiums with all facilities were built. Anyway, if you are going to spend more than 20 billion dollars on the arrangements, then the arrangements will be good.
There is no doubt that their infrastructure was excellent. If 4 matches were played in a day, then the metro system was so fast that fans were getting from one stadium to another on time. On the other hand, a shuttle service was also run for journalists, which were very good. So I will give full marks to Qatar in terms of infrastructure and other arrangements.
Expatriates living in Qatar, which included Pakistanis, Indians, and Bangladeshis, were many times more interested in the World Cup than Qatari citizens. These are the people who filled the stadiums and bought the most tickets. The enthusiasm of these people for the World Cup was spectacular. Even when the Brazilian team arrived in Qatar, people from Kerala were there to welcome them. The citizens of Qatar did not have the same sentiments as the expatriates about the World Cup.
Now, if I speak as a journalist, Qatar had made very good arrangements for us journalists too. A large central media center was built here, where all important press conferences were held.
In the last World Cup, each stadium had its own media center where all the journalists in that city worked. In contrast, in Qatar, as stadium media centers were small, the central media center was central. There were 4 matches in a day, so most of the coverage was done from the central media center.
This media center was designed in such a way that there was a lot of space. There were also many cafes and there was also a 5-star buffet. There was also a McDonald's cafe. Stores, hairdressers, banks, places of prayer, and lounges for relaxation were also built. There were also foosball tables if you wanted to take a break from work. Coffee was also available, while water was also available free of charge. There was also a bar for journalists who wanted to drink, while there was also a virtual stadium where you could watch the match on 8 screens.
There were new things to see and the Olympics-style media center we got to see for the first time at the World Cup. Therefore, all the facilities were available in the central media center, and even buses were running from there, transporting the journalists to their homes.
So all these responsibilities were done under very good planning. Yes, there were a few hiccups like a couple of times the shuttle drivers lost their way due to which we reached the stadium late. This was because Qatar had called a team of drivers from abroad who were looking for routes based on Google Maps.
However, all these things are a part of the World Cup, but there is no denying that Qatar had provided ample facilities. Even when there were 6 o'clock and 10 o'clock matches, their facilities were excellent. They were already informing us that the bus would be running at that time and their effort was to get us to the stadium 45 minutes before the match started. So Qatar's arrangements for the media were excellent.
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