The Club World Cup was the first major
test run ahead of the global finals in
2022 and another opportunity for the
organisers to overcome foreign scepticism.
The tournament was the second FIFA
competition in Qatar after the country
had stepped in to stage the 1995 Youth
World Championship after an outbreak
of meningitis thwarted the hosting plans
of Nigeria.
The organisers were, however, forced
into a last-minute venue change when
Education City Stadium, a 2022 World
Cup venue slated to host matches up
to the quarter-finals stage, was deemed
unfit. FIFA said that “the necessary
certification process took longer than
expected and therefore the stadium
was unable to host the
required test events”.
The rethink came after
Doha’s Al Janoub Stadium
struggled to cope with the
influx of fans during the
Gulf Cup semi-final between
Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Organisers feared similar issues could
have impeded operations at Education
City Stadium, so both semi-finals and the
Final moved to the Khalifa International
Stadium – Qatar’s national stadium and
the venue for the 2019 World Athletics
Championships, which received criticism
for extreme heat and sparse crowds.
While stories of corruption and human-
rights abuses continue to taint the build-
up to the 2022 World Cup, Tamin El Abed- project manager at the construction site
of Lusail Stadium, where the World Cup
Final will be staged – claimed that the
4,000 labourers working on site earn
about $350 per month, get a day off
every week and are entitled to a flight
ticket home once a year. He added that
the workers have access to sporting
facilities and relaxation areas.
The rigid “kafala” system in use in Qatar,
which ties workers to sponsorship by their
employers, remains contentious, but the
International Labour Organisation has been
working with Qatar to reform labour laws.
The Lusail Stadium will seat 80,000 and
the Club World Cup was the first time
Qatar has had to deal with large volumes
of foreign fans, with 21,580 Brazilians
arriving to watch Flamengo. Mohamed
Salah also drew crowds of Egyptian expats
in the Qatari capital, selling out both
Liverpool games with 45,416 fans at
the Khalifa International Stadium.
Fans had the opportunity to test out the
city’s newly inaugurated metro for free on
match days and they could enjoy some
reasonably priced beer at the fan zone.
Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Cheb Khaled
provided entertainment at a festivalbuilding up to Qatar’s national day when
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was the
guest of honour.
Of course, the question of the Club
World Cup’s importance is never far away
and it will return to Qatar in December for
a final time in its current format before
morphing into a 24-team event in 2021.
“FIFA plans a team World Cup in the
summer but it is the summer when the
African competition is playing and others
as well,” said Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.
“We have a lot of fans in this part of
the world and they watch us in the middle
of the night, so it is nice we come closer.
“But from an organisation point of view
they have to talk, because otherwise FIFA
say we’ll have a tournament, and UEFA
say so will we, and then South America
too. And they all think their tournament
is most important. You cannot just add
on tournaments. It doesn’t work.”CLUB WORLD CUP
Qatar under scrutiny
Intercontinental Cup – was not to be.
At least Flamengo managed to play
Liverpool on their own terms, with their
European-styled possession football,
but there was no escaping Liverpool’s
high press, mobility, and quick transitions,
the result of a four-year marriage
between the German coach and the
English institution. Klopp has transformed
Liverpool into Europe’s latest super club,
something that Flamengo, with a 2019
record revenue of £161million, can only
aspire to become.
Last year Liverpool conquered the
world and, building on that 2019 success,
the club now wants to create a dynasty
by winning the most elusive silverware
yet in 2020: the Premier League.
Under construction
...Lusail StadiumThis was the first time that
Qatar has had to deal with
large volumes of foreign fansHopeful...a Flamengo
fan in Qatar