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Ecstatic
Qataris flood the streets after winning World Cup bid
Friday December 03, 2010 08:31:07 AM ,
DPA
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Doha:
Thousands of fans took to the streets of Doha Thursday, blaring
horns and waving flags in celebration of Qatar winning the bid to
host the 2022 football World Cup.
"This is a moment of joy for all Arabs, everyone in Doha is on the
street exploding with happiness and pride," said Ali el-Hagary, a
Qatari national, as he took a momentary break from celebrating the
win.
Qatar will be the first Middle Eastern country - and first Islamic
nation - to host a World Cup tournament and among the cheering
supporters in Doha were citizens of other Arab countries, also
waving their national flags with joy.
Officials said special designated fan-zones will be cordoned off
where serving and drinking alcohol will be allowed during the
tournament, in a country that often follows strict Islamic rules.
Homosexuality is also illegal in Qatar and there are tight
regulations on modest dress.
"When we Qataris travel to the West or anywhere else, we try to
respect their customs and to represent our culture as best as we
can," said Abdelaziz al-Ogail, who works in the country's
lucrative petrol sector.
"Hopefully we will not see any trouble with clashing customs," he
said while enjoying the festivities on the streets.
Qatar had pledged in the lead up to the bid that it would let the
Israeli national side into the country for the World Cup, if the
team advanced, but it remained unclear what would be the rules for
holders of standard passports of the Jewish State.
Israel and Qatar have some trade relations but, like most Arab
states, Doha does not have full diplomatic ties with Israel.
Crowds had been gathering in the Qatari capital hours ahead of the
announcement by the ruling body FIFA in Zurich. Several major
companies had given employees the day off to allow them to join in
the public display of support for the bid.
Tens of thousands of Qatari flags and shirts branded with "2022"
were distributed to fans earlier in the day.
Posters lining the city's streets read "We will score the goal and
make history" alongside the country's emblems.
"We started off being written off, being the unconventional bid
that no one saw coming, no one saw we had a chance to win," Sheikh
Mohamed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, head of the Qatari bid,
said in Zurich.
"Expanding to the Middle East and bringing the games to our
region, to our homes, is the right think to do," bin Hamad said.
But not everyone thought Qatar was the right place to hold the
first games in the region.
"I am not happy that Qatar is the first Arab country to host the
World Cup - they have no history in football," said Ahmed Agha, a
dedicated Egyptian football fan who was bucking a generally joyous
trend in the Middle East.
"They have never qualified for the World Cup before," Agha added,
saying he would not go to Doha in 2022.
Qatar, which has the world's second highest Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) per capita, has vowed to build 12 new solar-powered, carbon
neutral stadia and to upgrade three existing facilities.
The natural gas-rich Gulf country said it plans to reconfigure and
transport 12 of the stadia to developing countries after the
tournament ends.
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