- Football fans in Doha wear Argentina’s cyan-and-white jerseys and Brazil’s yellow-and-green ones
- FIFA banned the selling of alcohol near the eight Qatar World Cup stadiums on Friday
- Italy’s Daniele Orsato will referee Sunday’s opening encounter between Qatar and Ecuador
Fans, flags, football. These three words describe Qatar as international fans, expats, and Qataris drink up the celebratory mood of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which begins on Sunday.
On Friday, the last weekend before the competition, men and women holding flags and wearing colourful jerseys were observed in fan zones and at festivities. Football fans in Doha wear Argentina’s cyan-and-white jerseys and Brazil’s yellow-and-green ones.
“We are lucky to be living in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup as so many fans from all over the world have converged here for the tournament,” said Mohammed Shahid, an Indian from Kerala wearing a Brazil jersey on Lusail Boulevard, which has been decorated for the tournament.
In supermarkets and other retailers selling flags and jerseys, Brazil is the most popular. Amna Siddiqui, from Karnataka, begged her father to buy her Brazilian standard in Al Wakra.
“I have finally decided to yield to her badgering,” her father remarked as the 10-year-old Brazil fan left the shop 15 miles from Doha.
The World Cup’s festive attitude has overshadowed international news sources’ charges, notably Western ones. International media have accused Qatar of human rights crimes and worker rights abuses while building eight World Cup stadiums. Qatar disputes the charges and criticises.
Western newspapers have criticized the excessive price of beer to be offered at the World Cup. It was unclear until a few weeks before the tournament if alcohol would be sold at match venues and fan zones in the conservative Muslim country.
FIFA banned the selling of alcohol near the eight Qatar World Cup stadiums on Friday.
Following agreements between host country authorities and FIFA, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be limited to the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations, and licenced venues. Beer sales points will be removed from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters. Alcohol will be offered during FIFA Fan Festivals, where thousands of supporters will watch matches on huge screens.
FIFA will guarantee that stadiums and surrounding areas are fun, polite, and pleasant for all spectators.
Italy’s Daniele Orsato will referee Sunday’s opening encounter between Qatar and Ecuador. The 46-year-old has been a referee since 2010. He was a FIFA World Cup video assistant referee in Russia.
Ghana, Costa Rica arrive Friday, Ghana’s World Cup team arrived in Doha. Group H includes South Korea, Portugal, and Uruguay. Ghana will face Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay in the group stage of the World Cup.
Group E’s Costa Rica arrived in Doha Friday. Spain, Germany, and Japan are groupmates. Costa Rica faces Spain on November 23 at Al Thumama Stadium, Japan on November 27 at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, and Germany on December 1 at Al Bayt Stadium.
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