World Cup 2022: Arab supporters play air of unity in Doha

A wave of supporters in red T-shirts filled the corridors of Souk Waqif, Doha’s central market. With the flag of the Kingdom of Morocco in hand, they arrive to celebrate their team’s surprise win over Belgium on Sunday, November 27. “Earthquake, earthquake, our greetings to the whole Arab world”scream the fans, to your thunder and applause.

As the day’s heroes slalom between the terraces of restaurants and cafes that line the souk, a tourist hotspot, the march swells into a euphoric melee from which other banners emerge, in Palestinian colors. , Egypt and Saudi Arabia. . “The Arab Union is here, all the people of the region are present”exclaims Khadija, 35, a computer engineer in Casablanca, a Palestinian flag on her back. “Today I’m Moroccan, a few days ago when they beat Argentina I was Saudi Arabia, tomorrow I might be Tunisian”Kuwaiti official Abdallah adds unanimously.

Even if it makes room for all nationalities, the World Cup in Qatar has an undeniable Arab flavour. Qatar’s neighbors, primarily the Saudis, but also the Emiratis, Kuwaitis, and Omanis, have landed en masse on the Gaza Peninsula, either by plane or by car. Evidenced by the scent of oud and bakhoor, two amber scents very popular in the Gulf, which waft through the souks or some of Doha’s fancy shops.

family reunions

Qatari nationals have clearly bought seats, but they make up only 10% of the emirate’s three million residents, and some of them, fearing traffic jams or too violent a clash of cultures, have taken advantage of school closures to go abroad. On the other hand, tens of thousands of Arab residents of the monarchy, the pole of professional attraction in the region, rushed to the ticket office and took advantage of the opportunity to bring in their family members.

“I haven’t seen my mother for seven years and my sister for eleven years”Hamza, the Syrian director of a Qatar-funded television channel operating between Istanbul and Doha. The Hayya card, which acts as a visa for ticket holders, allowed the two to travel to the emirate via Beirut, something not normally possible. “We spent the first two days crying on the sofa, this reunion was very emotional. Unfortunately, my brother, who lives in Austria, did not get the Hague. »