2022 World Cup Diary – Part Two (England v USA, Al Bayt Stadium)

 

Interior of the Al Bayt Stadium – Tent Theme     

England Revert To Type   
Saturday 26th November 2022  

One stadium down, seven to go, after attending yesterday evening’s 10pm (local time) group match between England and USA. The 0-0 draw (assuming head to head matches determine progress) means that if England avoid defeat in their final group game against Wales they will progress. Lose and they would be relying on a draw in the simultaneous match between USA and Iran – which is the one I will be attending that day. 

It was an opportunity to ensure qualification that was passed up, and Iran’s victory over Wales was evidence of how competitive a group this one is. Let’s put things in perspective here. Argentina and Germany suffered shock defeats in their opening matches, and the latter face the serious risk of elimination after two games. Given that USA created the better chances, England – despite playing poorly – fashioned a point out of a game they could easily have lost. The other thing to mention is that not really impressing in the group stage does not mean a country will not come good. On the plane here, I was reminded in a 30 minute documentary that France hardly tore up any trees in their opening three matches in Russia. There was a feeling amongst the players that the round of 16 4-3 victory over Argentina was the turning point. Italy won the 1982 tournament failing to win a single match in the group stage. Peaking too early isn’t always the best way of winning this trophy, it's simply about not losing football matches, by hook or by crook.

One swallow does not make a summer, so the same as the convincing performance in defeating Iran 6-2 does not mean England are going places, the inability to defeat USA doesn’t mean they aren’t. All the same, if you want my opinion, England’s inability to prevent the numerous chances the Americans spurned does not bode well. Their failure to secure six points from the opening two fixtures makes the match against Wales effectively their first knockout game, although the combination of results to see them fail to progress would give you long odds. Assuming they do go through, you do feel that the first time they will meet a country with greater attacking talent, they will surely be on the next plane home.

As for the Al Bayt Stadium, I was very impressed. The outside has the feel of a giant rectangular tent in its design, topped by raised sections to get the idea that you are in a large-scale desert tent. Inside, both in the main concourse and in the seats, they have used a design that gives the impression of what a tent lining might look like – under the roof when you are in your seat it looks like actual cloth has been used above. It’s certainly a football stadium with a marked Arabic twist. And get this – sofas aplenty to relax on around the lower tier concourse.

It’s a cracking place to watch a game of football, and in all fairness, given the amounts spent on these stadiums, even if little of that on the migrant workers that constructed them, I’d expect no less. It certainly looked very high end in the areas where the posh seats are, from what I could see with a pair of binoculars (a banned item in the grounds, but mine were so small, the security didn't seem interested) and the view of the equivalent of club level eating areas at Arsenal which was visible from the stairs you took to reach the upper tier. 

The tent in the desert theme was kind of ironic given the place was a desert when it came to the consumption of alcohol, unless you paid through the nose for a hospitality package or were a corporate guest / member of the FIFA Family of course. In fairness, many of the box holders looked like extremely wealthy Arabians, so I’ll assume they stuck to the cultural code and didn’t even have the hard stuff in their respective fridges. 

I was fairly impressed by the relatively small number of empty seats at this game, although it was fascinating to see the sheer number of people that arrived late. Given the time they arrived, it wasn’t queues outside the ground that were the issue – but possibly underestimating the time to reach the stadium – there was certainly traffic – or the phenomenon of being able to pick up tickets at face value (albeit very expensive face value) on FIFA’s resale platform, or non-approved ones where the price can be hugely variable. Some are in Qatar to see a particular country and want the experience of seeing other games in different stadiums, and this decision can be made even after a game has started. The transfer of tickets – all on a mobile phone app – is a very simple process, and the ticket is activated when you are near the entrance.

Except due to technical issues, it isn’t always, and the organizers have now got stewards who punch in a code to some device after scanning your app and the ticket is activated. All well and good, although some stewards not at the immediate entrance are sending people to a queue at the ticket resolution centre, whilst there was also one huge f**k up yesterday morning with Hayya cards (effectively entrance visas to Qatar issued when you have booked match tickets and accommodation, which also get you free public transport) for Welsh fans travelling from the UK. These – although granted months back – need to be activated on your phone to actually allow you to get on a plane. Except there was a tech glitch that meant it wasn’t happening. If you were flying Qatar Airways, no problem – they let you take your flight. If you were with another airline – no visa, no travel. Absolutely shocking. I hope FIFA refund the travel, accommodation and match ticket costs to those unfortunate fans. There is simply no reason why, once the visa has been issued, it should require any form of ‘activation’ on a phone app. A visa is a visa. Utter madness.

So there have certainly been some tech issues in this World Cup, mainly related to phone apps. Get used to it, because it’s already how things are done at Spurs’ ground, and it’s coming to the Emirates, as they look to phase out cards and physical e-tickets. There are trials at Everton for away fans to be using a phone app as well. The tech failure in Qatar is inexcusable – that fans were allowed to board planes on one airline but not on others smacks of a complete lack of preparation and communication. 

Anyhow, World Cups now see a tortuous process of accessing the ground from a fair distance away, however you travel… unless you are in the premium seats of course – no walking for the rich and chosen. And Al Bayt was no different. It’s crowd control, and after the shambles at Wembley for the Euros, perhaps a necessity. Getting out involves a great deal of walking if you want to catch a bus to the nearest Metro and it is in this respect that Al Bayt, the most northern of the stadiums, and the furthest from Qatar, is ill-served. It’s a pain to get to. Even spending the $300 billion they did on the tournament, the money ran out to extend the metro beyond Lusail… but there’s nothing around Al Bayt, and great stadium as it is, there is a white elephant feel about its future. You can only get here by road, which is unusual for a major football stadium in this day and age. Apparently it will remain standing after the tournament, unlike some of the others. Given Qatar also has the bigger Lusail stadium that will hold the final, there is an argument that the country has one more giant stadium than it needs, with a population of 3 million. But of course as we know, this is a giant vanity exercise to put Qatar on the map. All the same, as a standalone football stadium, it’s difficult to criticize Al Bayt.

One final thought – the aircon in the stadiums was designed because of that old fashioned notion of a summer World Cup. In that case, it would have definitely been required with temperatures at 40 degrees. Still, for those attending matches in the daylight, it will be hotter than it was at the England game. No need for it last night though. Temperatures were simply pleasant.