Qatar counts down to World Cup start after investing $200 billion

The sounds of construction and heavy machinery fill the air across the Qatari capital, and video panels count the days until the wealthy Gulf state is at the center of the sporting world.

In just over a month, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup, the most prestigious event in international football, ending a journey that began in 2010, when the gas-rich country won the right to host the games, in a vote which is now widely discredited.

However, doubts about whether Qatar can deliver results to FIFA, the 32 competing countries, the estimated 1.5 million fans or the billions they will watch on television have persisted over these 12 years. Light infrastructure such as accommodation and leisure is seen as a particular weakness.

“We are a month away from the event and some of these questions are still being asked,” said Tarik Yousef, director of the Qatar-based Middle East Global Affairs Council.

Qatar marks a break in the traditions of football, a sport that values ​​its heritage. It will be the first time that a World Cup has been held in the Middle East, and the first time that a country with such a limited football pedigree – Qatari players rank 50th in the world – has been chosen as a host. The sport has also torn up its schedule to play the month-long tournament in the middle of the European club season because summers in the Middle East are simply too hot.

However, it is a seminal moment for the small state, which has spent US$ 200 billion (more than R$ 1 trillion at current rates) on infrastructure for the World Cup in an effort to ensure the project’s success. Eight stadiums, seven of which are air-conditioned, were built or renovated, along with a new metro system and international airport.

“For Qatar, the World Cup has become a catalyst to focus attention, resources and align everyone in the system and society at all levels to deliver on that commitment,” said Yousef.

The World Cup is the culmination of Qatar’s petrodollar-fueled “soft power” strategy to project its global influence, but it has brought unwanted attention from international scrutiny.

Doha has been accused of bribery and of not doing enough to improve conditions for the poorly paid foreign workers who built the stadiums and infrastructure.

Its questionable human rights record, including the crackdown on LGBT+ rights, and an authoritarian system of government that tolerates little opposition or dissent were highlighted. The government has denied allegations of corruption and points to improvements in legislation affecting workers.

Amnesty International has asked FIFA to match the tournament’s prize money with a $440 million fund to reward abused workers. “The past cannot be undone, but a compensation program is a clear and simple way that FIFA and Qatar can provide at least some measure of redress,” said Steve Cockburn, head of economic and social justice at the activist group.

The influx of visitors at the World Cup will put unprecedented pressure on the country of 3 million people, mainly expatriates, unused to mass tourism. Finding places for fans to sleep, eat and drink – football fans are notorious for consuming large amounts of alcohol during games – created a huge headache.

“The stadiums are there, but the weak point may be the light infrastructure,” said a consultant who works on World Cup projects. “They’ve had 12 years to prepare, but they’re still patching things up.”

Contracts to set up restaurants and other attractions were awarded too late, the consultant explained, with companies unable to recruit enough new staff and thus cannibalizing an already strained workforce.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, brother of Qatar’s ruling emir, has taken a leading role in overseeing final preparations through a trusted executive who is “writing checks” and “intervening everywhere” to ensure on-time delivery, added the consultant.

From 1 November, offices across Qatar will adopt work-from-home arrangements under an ongoing lockdown to create more space for visitors. Schools will close during the period, while non-essential workers are being sent back to their home countries and vehicles taken off the streets to ease traffic.

The stadiums were completed ahead of schedule. The Lusail stadium, which will host the World Cup final on December 18, hosted the champions of Saudi Arabia and Egypt last month, but the match was marred by queues, problems with air conditioning and lack of water that left the suffocated fans.

A multinational security force, under the command of Qatar, was assembled to keep the peace, with thousands of police officers from Jordan, Morocco and Turkey, as well as soldiers from Pakistan. But they have not been tested working together, which has raised concern among some Western officials.

The government has pledged to take a pragmatic approach to crowd control, such as dealing with non-violent drunken fans, protests by LGBT+ activists who raise the rainbow flag, or other political statements.

But many Muslim residents of Qatar expressed concern at the prospect of people drinking during the day during the call to prayer. Many families are leaving town for the entire month to avoid any confusion.

Qatar said it has 130,000 rooms, equivalent to 3.64 million nights during the tournament, enough to provide “comfortable inventory” for fans and teams. What visitors will do when they are not watching matches is another matter.

The Gulf country is not known for its tourist attractions, beyond its art museums, or the quality of its nightlife. Organizers will encourage fans to take advantage of the short distances between stadiums by going to more than one game a day. Sightseeing visits to neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia have also been promoted as something to fill in the hours.

Many fans are expected to stay in the more relaxed Dubai, an hour’s flight away. Qatar Airways is operating 16 special daily flights from Dubai to Doha during the first phase of the games, until 2 December.

As the clock ticks towards the opening on November 20, when the hosts take on Ecuador, the task of transforming the former Interior Ministry by the sea in Doha into a branch of the gleaming Ned hotel chain is under way. Dignitaries are expected to be housed there during the tournament.

Ordinary fans will choose between apartments, mansions and hotels, as well as cruise ship cabins and even tents set up in special fan zones, although many potential visitors have complained about exorbitant prices, and contractors say some are still under construction.

“Yes, it’s all a bit last minute,” admitted one official, before adding: “But Qatar has the money to make it all right.”

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves