Let’s go to the stadium.. So the Qataris can say, a few hours before the start of the first World Cup in history to be held on Arab soil, since the start of the football match 92 years ago.
Qataris, like us Arabs, have a right to be proud of the pride and dignity that Doha has achieved in welcoming and organizing such an event, especially as it has hit the lips of skeptics, not even haters, who have aimed their poisoned arrows, resentful, if not angry. From the success of the tournament even before its launch, and with clear testimony from the majority of the global football system, which underlined that the Qatar World Cup will be the greatest version in history, superior to what preceded it and to what follows it.
This will stop the campaign of slander (unless there are those who love to oppose reality and logic), as the world will pay attention to the most important aspect, namely the launch of the 22nd edition competitions, with the host country’s team on Sunday at 18:00 at the Al-Bayt stadium the match against Ecuador, which marks the beginning of the matches that will continue until December 18th, with the participation of 32 teams, 4 of which are Arab. In addition to the owners of the land, they will participate Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia.
With the announcement of the sale of around 3 million tickets, the stands, which can seat 60,000 spectators, are expected to be filled to capacity in the opening match, recalling that FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously confirmed that 5 billion people will be watching the World Cup in Qatar, and this number will far exceed the number of half of the world’s population. This number includes fans in stadiums and spectators on television and in public areas.
A spokesperson for the media group, BN Sports, revealed on Friday that it will broadcast 22 matches without encryption in the Middle East and North Africa during the tournament.
“We will broadcast 22 matches outdoors, including the opening Sunday between Qatar and Ecuador,” said a spokesman for the Qatari group which holds exclusive rights to the World Cup in the Middle East and North Africa, hours before the start of the first World Cup in an Arab country.
Four Arab countries participate in the 2022 World Cup: Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
Thus, 22 of the 64 matches will be broadcast on the Qatari group’s free-to-air sports broadcaster, while the other matches will be on encrypted channels, as announced by the network in the 2018 edition which took place in Russia.
In context, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced on Friday it would ban the sale of alcoholic beverages to supporters in the vicinity of the eight World Cup stadiums, after “discussions” with the host country.
FIFA did not indicate the reason for this sudden decision, underlining in its statement that the sale of alcoholic beverages will be limited to supporter areas only, with “the removal of beer sales centers from the vicinity of stadiums”.
The FIFA statement added: “Following the discussions that have taken place between the host country authorities and FIFA, the decision has been taken to concentrate the sale of alcoholic beverages within the Fan Festival and other venues intended for fans and facilities that are licensed to do so.”
And he added: “The host country and FIFA will continue to work to ensure that stadiums and adjacent areas are spaces that provide entertainment, respect for all fans and provide an enjoyable experience for all.”
Dozens of tents have been set up to sell beer near the World Cup stadiums, ahead of the start of Sunday’s inaugural match between Qatar and Ecuador.
