Cheap Thrills
Football (soccer to my American readers) is very popular here. Leagues were started about 40 years ago, and it has sky-rocketed in popularity since. The country has ten professional teams, most representing various districts and suburbs of Doha, the capital. There are actually more than ten stadiums, due to the fact that extras have been built in anticipation of the Asian Games next year.
Each team has colors which are prominently displayed upon the vehicles and bodices of the faithful. The rivalries are civil, as far as I can ascertain, but they run deep nonetheless. Most folks tend to support the team from their district, but a couple of the better ones generate a wider appeal. In high season, virtually every round-about in town has people selling various flags, banners, ribbons, etc sporting team colors.
The quality of the game is much better than you would expect from such a small country. The rules state that all team players must be Qatari citizens, so do the math… 150,000 to 200,000 citizens… ten teams… you would think that the quality level of the game would be comparable to say secondary school leagues based on the number of players that must be drawn from such a small population. Not so! In fact, the rivalry between the teams is so great, that a way has been found to improve the quality of the game. Players are imported from around the world, at big salaries, to play in the Qatari leagues. They are given “citizenship” for the duration of their service! I got a big laugh out of that one, but at the end of the day, it makes sense…it does make for a better game. You get to see players from Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, as well as other greats from the far corners of the globe. Of course many players are Qatari as well, but the stars hail from elsewhere.
The games themselves are free. No admission is charged, with the exception of the Gulf Cup. The stadiums are fairly packed as a result, but you can always still find a seat… there are only so many people here, so things can only get so packed. Refreshments are sold by wandering vendors, yet the prices that they charge for food and drink are no more than you would pay at any corner store. In short, the enterprise doesn’t generate any revenue… nothing! and in fact it drains quite a bit of cash from the sponsors of each team. It’s not about money though. Things like this have more to do with honor, reputation and generosity than they do with money. Money is just one of the details.
As you enter the stadium, you notice that general seating includes one entire side and both end zones, but on one side of the stadium, VIP seating occupies the center. You need wazda (influence) to score one of these seats. They are ornate chairs rather than bench or folding seats. At the center of this area is the super-VIP section. These seats are literally large gilded thrones. There is carpeting, and waiters for refreshments. These are reserved for the big sheikhs… team owners, and the royal family, should any choose to attend. These are the only paying customers in the whole place, so I guess they deserve good seats!
Most stadiums are pretty normal in appearance, but some of the newer ones are very high-tech, filled with all sorts of gadgets… rolling camera platforms along the sidelines, camera cranes, huge screens for replays, etc. Most of the Gulf Cup games were played in a new stadium that looks like something out of a science fiction movie… a building that looks more like a surreal sort of space-station than a soccer field. The structure has an incredibly elaborate lighting system, and a reflective exterior, so it literally changes color as the game progresses.
The crowd is very spirited. A sea of thobes goes wild every time a goal is scored. “Cheerleaders” are men up front with large frame drums, who get a beat going and lead various chants. Adding machine rolls are flung onto the field at crucial moments, and ad-hoc fireworks displays mark every goal. It’s all very entertaining. I am not certain why, but not many foreigners go to these things. Nearly all attendees are young Qatari males. At a typical game I will see fewer women than I can count on one hand, and only slightly more men than that who are not wearing traditional dress.
After the games, the traffic jams begin. These usually occur along the corniche, the street running along the waterfront downtown. The fans of the victors parade back and forth along this road, honking horns, waving banners and generally creating a ruckus. Qatar not only hosted the Gulf Cup this past year, but they won it! This created the largest traffic jam ever. People were dancing on the hoods of moving cars. In places traffic was stalled or slowed for hours.
Each team has colors which are prominently displayed upon the vehicles and bodices of the faithful. The rivalries are civil, as far as I can ascertain, but they run deep nonetheless. Most folks tend to support the team from their district, but a couple of the better ones generate a wider appeal. In high season, virtually every round-about in town has people selling various flags, banners, ribbons, etc sporting team colors.
The quality of the game is much better than you would expect from such a small country. The rules state that all team players must be Qatari citizens, so do the math… 150,000 to 200,000 citizens… ten teams… you would think that the quality level of the game would be comparable to say secondary school leagues based on the number of players that must be drawn from such a small population. Not so! In fact, the rivalry between the teams is so great, that a way has been found to improve the quality of the game. Players are imported from around the world, at big salaries, to play in the Qatari leagues. They are given “citizenship” for the duration of their service! I got a big laugh out of that one, but at the end of the day, it makes sense…it does make for a better game. You get to see players from Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, as well as other greats from the far corners of the globe. Of course many players are Qatari as well, but the stars hail from elsewhere.
The games themselves are free. No admission is charged, with the exception of the Gulf Cup. The stadiums are fairly packed as a result, but you can always still find a seat… there are only so many people here, so things can only get so packed. Refreshments are sold by wandering vendors, yet the prices that they charge for food and drink are no more than you would pay at any corner store. In short, the enterprise doesn’t generate any revenue… nothing! and in fact it drains quite a bit of cash from the sponsors of each team. It’s not about money though. Things like this have more to do with honor, reputation and generosity than they do with money. Money is just one of the details.
As you enter the stadium, you notice that general seating includes one entire side and both end zones, but on one side of the stadium, VIP seating occupies the center. You need wazda (influence) to score one of these seats. They are ornate chairs rather than bench or folding seats. At the center of this area is the super-VIP section. These seats are literally large gilded thrones. There is carpeting, and waiters for refreshments. These are reserved for the big sheikhs… team owners, and the royal family, should any choose to attend. These are the only paying customers in the whole place, so I guess they deserve good seats!
Most stadiums are pretty normal in appearance, but some of the newer ones are very high-tech, filled with all sorts of gadgets… rolling camera platforms along the sidelines, camera cranes, huge screens for replays, etc. Most of the Gulf Cup games were played in a new stadium that looks like something out of a science fiction movie… a building that looks more like a surreal sort of space-station than a soccer field. The structure has an incredibly elaborate lighting system, and a reflective exterior, so it literally changes color as the game progresses.
The crowd is very spirited. A sea of thobes goes wild every time a goal is scored. “Cheerleaders” are men up front with large frame drums, who get a beat going and lead various chants. Adding machine rolls are flung onto the field at crucial moments, and ad-hoc fireworks displays mark every goal. It’s all very entertaining. I am not certain why, but not many foreigners go to these things. Nearly all attendees are young Qatari males. At a typical game I will see fewer women than I can count on one hand, and only slightly more men than that who are not wearing traditional dress.
After the games, the traffic jams begin. These usually occur along the corniche, the street running along the waterfront downtown. The fans of the victors parade back and forth along this road, honking horns, waving banners and generally creating a ruckus. Qatar not only hosted the Gulf Cup this past year, but they won it! This created the largest traffic jam ever. People were dancing on the hoods of moving cars. In places traffic was stalled or slowed for hours.
posted by dervish at Wednesday, April 27, 2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home