World Cup test in Debrecen: The Qataris felt like they were at home

The Qatari national team's three-game guest appearance in Debrecen ended on Tuesday night. The team started their match series at the Nagyerdei Stadium with a 1–0 win over Luxembourg on March 24, then won over Azerbaijan 2–1 on March 27, and finished with a tie of 1-1 against Ireland. (All three events were played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus restrictions.) As known, the host of the 2022 World Cup has been asked by the European Football Association (UEFA) to participate in the European qualifying rounds of the World Cup, and to play in every round with the Group A teams on their day offs, despite automatically being qualified for the tournament as hosts. The unusual reception of the Qataris was reportedly initiated by the UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin himself, but during the first European mini tour there were some complications. According to the security measures in place due to the pandemic, the originally scheduled Vienna could not host the match against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, and Ireland was forced to cancel the hosting of the third meeting. Debrecen was the solution in the difficult situation.

"We chose Hungary as the venue for our matches after we had to change our plan several times due to the European CVOID-19 regulations and travel restrictions because of which we had to cancel the initially designated destination in Austria," Ali Al Salat, Head of Media of the Qatar Football Association, wrote to our portal in a statement after reaching out to him via email. “Of course, hosting the matches in Qatar was not an option because the idea, coordinated with the UEFA regulations, was precisely the European away games. We were perfectly satisfied with the conditions in Hungary. Everything from A to Z was fine, we felt like we were at home. We had great experience, there could be no complaints about the training grounds or the accommodation. In regard to the pandemic, the entire squad, match directors and all persons involved in the conduct of the events were tested before each match."

PCR tests could only be carried out by a laboratory designated by the UEFA, and only those with negative test results not longer than 72 hours was allowed to enter the Nagyerdei Stadium. In addition, separated green, red, and blue zones within the stadium area also increased protection. As far as we know, during the Qataris' 10-day stay in Hungary, only one contributor from Debrecen tested positive for COVID (before he got to work), and of course he was immediately isolated. The proximity of the airport, stadium and hotel was a key factor for the Qatari delegation in choosing the location in Debrecen. Islam's halal dietary law had to be taken into consideration along with the Qataris requesting the stadium's grandstands and the locker room to be decorated with a spectacular scenery reminiscing their home environment. They even made sure to get their own man next to the stadium announcer, who could read the greetings in Arabic with perfect pronunciation. The Qataris' trip to Europe was organized by an Austrian management office, and it is reported that the Qataris also undertook the cost of the opponents' transportation and accommodation. (According to an unconfirmed source, even a kind of compensation fee was paid to the competitors who accepted the invitation).

“It is important for our players to get used to different football schools," Ali Al Salat said of the professional background of the European tour. “We won the Asian Cup in 2019, we did a great job at the 2019 Copa América, and with recent matches the team tried the European style with the intention of adapting to the rhythm of European football. Hopefully at the World Cup our work can bear fruit and make history next year."

We also asked the media representative of the Qatari federation about the progress of preparation for the World Cup and the human rights concerns that have been on the table for a long time which now has come to light again thanks to a recent media report.

"How does the coronavirus outbreak affect the World Cup preparations? The Qatari Football Association and the Health Ministry are working closely together to ensure that the work is on track, and so far, everything is really going according to plan. We are proud to host the World Cup. We are an open and hospitable nation," said the Qatari press agent who commented on the high-resonant claim in a February article in The Guardian that some 6,500 guest workers had died in Qatar in the past 10 years, with 37 deaths directly linked to stadium construction. “Qatar is committed to progress in the human rights and labor field. We consider them to be our country's top priority, and the International Labour Organization recognizes Qatar's achievements in this matter. This will be the first time the Arab world hosts the World Cup. We would like to prepare as thoroughly as possible so that we can perform at the highest level during the tournament as well. We are excited for football tourists from all over the world to learn about our culture, hospitality and passion for football."

Translated by Vanda Orosz