ReportWire

Tag: Sports – Middle East

  • Turkey turns to quest for hosting soccer’s Euros after Champions League final

    Turkey turns to quest for hosting soccer’s Euros after Champions League final

    GENEVA (AP) — Turkey’s quest to host the men’s European Championship is among the great unfulfilled goals in world soccer.

    Having newly re-elected state President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sit next to UEFA leader Aleksander Čeferin at the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday should only help before Turkey’s next two tournament bids are put to votes on Oct. 10.

    Turkey is up against the joint U.K.-Ireland bid to host Euro 2028 and is in a Euro 2032 duel with Italy. The 2032 edition is the likely target with a widespread belief 2028 is going to the British and Irish who switched from trying to be UEFA’s preferred candidate in the 2030 World Cup race.

    Voters for hosting the 24-team Euros tournaments will be members of the 20-strong UEFA executive committee who also sat with Erdoğan in the VIP section to see Manchester City beat Inter Milan on Saturday.

    “We absolutely would like to win the bid because we see that our country is always capable of organizing such big-scale events successfully,” Turkey Football Federation president Mehmet Büyükekşi told The Associated Press in Istanbul ahead of the final. That was before fans complained on social media about logistical problems getting to and from Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

    Turkey has tried to persuade UEFA of its hosting potential for so long that Erdoğan was not yet in national office when in 2002 the first candidacy failed. That was a joint bid with Greece for Euro 2008.

    After 20 years of Erdoğan as Turkish prime minister then president since 2014, including several photo opportunities of him kicking a soccer ball, the construction project he has overseen would be key to any vote win at UEFA’s Swiss headquarters.

    “We believe that Turkey’s 85 million population, the stadiums built over the last years and the investments on infrastructure are essential,” Büyükekşi said in translated comments.

    Istanbul Airport opened in 2018 and is ranked top-10 globally on some metrics. Air travel would be needed for teams and fans when one host city, Trabzon, is more than 1,000 kilometers (650 miles) east of Istanbul.

    The Atatürk Olympic Stadium that was renovated in recent years to hold close to 72,000 spectators is set for further upgrades. The homes of storied Istanbul clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are also in the bid plan of 10 mostly state-owned stadiums.

    Turkey’s rival bids have some stadiums “almost 50 years old or even 100. We already have them in a brand-new style,” Büyükekşi said. “A European Championship in Turkey can add great value to us, and we can contribute to European football.”

    Turkey’s place in Europe was a factor in the campaign that led to its tightest and most frustrating loss from UEFA — the 7-6 vote won by France to host Euro 2016. Italy had been eliminated in an earlier round.

    Both state presidents in 2010 came to that vote in Geneva, Abdullah Gül and Nicolas Sarkozy, who while in office strongly opposed the idea of Turkish applying to join the European Union. Before the voting ceremony, Sarkozy was personally introduced to voters by UEFA’s then-leader, France soccer great Michel Platini.

    “We lost the Euro 2016 bid by just one vote,” said Büyükekşi, who was elected to lead the TFF last year. “That was kind of upsetting for us, but as we came so close to getting it we want to keep on trying.”

    Turkey seemed sure to get Euro 2020 with public support from Platini, who met with Erdoğan in 2012. The insistence from Turkey also to pursue at the same time a 2020 Olympics bid, which ultimately failed, pushed UEFA to opt for a multi-nation tournament hosted across Europe.

    Turkey then turned down staging the Euro 2020 semifinals and final, which England took instead for a tournament first postponed then held during a pandemic with restricted crowds.

    When Turkey tried for Euro 2024, Germany’s bid was just too strong on soccer and financial grounds for UEFA to refuse. The vote five years ago was 12-4.

    This run of losses, near-misses and sports politics missteps came after Turkey reached semifinals at Euro 2008 and the 2002 World Cup. As a soccer nation, it feels hosting a major tournament is due.

    “We have reached a certain level but for some time we have not gone beyond that,” Hamit Altıntop, a midfielder in the 2008 team now working for the federation, told the AP.

    The former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid player suggested hosting will help a next generation of players to “increase their belief, faith and self-confidence.”

    “We know how passionate they are about football,” Altıntop said of Turkey’s players and fans, “and they deserve it.”

    ___

    More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link

  • Charles Howell III with 63 wins in Mexico for 1st LIV title

    Charles Howell III with 63 wins in Mexico for 1st LIV title

    PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Charles Howell III finally made winning feel easy Sunday at Mayakoba when his putter came to life for an 8-under 63 to win the LIV Golf Invitational by four shots for his first title in the Saudi-funded series.

    Howell had seven birdies through 10 holes to take control at El Camaleon, and then got some help when Peter Uihlein had to hit three tee shots on the 12th hole in a triple bogey that removed any drama from the final round.

    Howell won in his sixth start in LIV Golf and picked up $4 million, with an additional $1 million for leading his Crushers to a nine-shot victory.

    LIV Golf’s opening event in a 14-tournament schedule was a happy time for Howell, the 42-year-old from Augusta, Georgia, who won only three times in 23 seasons and 607 starts on the PGA Tour.

    “It’s great,” Howell said. “It’s a big win and we got the team win.”

    Two of his three PGA Tour wins were in playoffs, and the other was a two-shot win.

    Howell had a bogey-free card, and most of his birdies were in the 8-foot to 15-foot range as he ran off four in a row and rarely made any mistakes.

    Howell played 13 times at Mayakoba when it hosted a PGA Tour event from 2007 until last November, his best finish a tie for fourth.

    “I’ve played here many times, so I had an idea what to expect,” Howell said. “Around this place, there’s double bogeys everywhere, so you never know.”

    He left that to fellow Oklahoma State alum Uihlein, who began the final round sharing the lead with a third Cowboy, Talor Gooch.

    Uihlein was still in the mix when he snap-hooked his drive into the woods. He hit a provisional for a lost ball and sent that one into the trees on his right. He found the original ball and after trying to remove a pile of limbs and contemplating a penalty for an unplayable lie, chose to go back to the tee.

    It added to a triple bogey, and Uihlein made the most of the final six holes with enough birdies for a 68 to finish alone in second, worth $2,125,000.

    Asked what he would differently, Uihlein smiled and said, “Skip the 12th.”

    “I’m proud of the way I battled,” he said. “Other than that hole, it was a pretty good day. The reality was other than those three tee shots, it was a pretty solid week off the tee.”

    Branden Grace had a 67 and finished third, with $1.5 million. Gooch shot a 76 and finished out of the top 10.

    Howell finished at 16-under 268 for his first win since Sea Island at the end of 2019. He now has made just short of $8 million in his six starts with LIV Golf, nearly equal to his previous five seasons on the PGA Tour.

    Dustin Johnson, who won the individual and team titles in LIV’s debut season last year, closed with a 78 and tied for 35th.

    ___

    AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link

  • Croatia, Morocco target third-place medal at World Cup

    Croatia, Morocco target third-place medal at World Cup

    By JAMES ROBSONDecember 15, 2022 GMT

    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The chances of the winning the World Cup might have gone for Croatia and Morocco, but “immortality” is at stake when the two teams meet in Saturday’s third-place playoff.

    Croatia forward Andrej Kramarić dispelled the notion it would be a meaningless contest at Khalifa International Stadium.

    “I think if you ask this question to Moroccan players, I don’t think they will look that way,” he said at a news conference Thursday. “They’re fighting for their lives because if you win a medal at a World Cup you become an immortal hero in your country. That’s the same thing we are going to do.”

    Morocco defied the odds to become the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals. But the Atlas Lions’ run came to an end with a 2-0 loss to defending champions France on Wednesday.

    Croatia reached the final in Russia in 2018, but suffered a 3-0 loss to Argentina on Tuesday.

    “Eight of us from (the tournament in) Russia understand that feeling of winning a medal at the World Cup and we have a lot of players who haven’t experienced that and would love to do that because it’s something that will stay with you for the rest of their life,” Kramaric said.

    ___

    James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link

  • AP PHOTOS: Qatar bustles with life as World Cup nears end

    AP PHOTOS: Qatar bustles with life as World Cup nears end

    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar is still bustling with life just days before the end of the first World Cup in the Middle East.

    At Katara beach in Doha, children play soccer on the golden sand during the day, while others go for a swim at night in waters lit by the capital’s glimmering skyline.

    Men follow the call to prayer at a nearby Ottoman-style mosque. Members of the Qatar Armed Forces Band Regiment march in formation as boats with sails in the national colors of the four remaining World Cup teams hover in the harbor.

    Qatar expected some 1.2 million visitors for the tournament. Many fans have returned home, but for those who remain, there’s still plenty to do.

    The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra has been playing on the Corniche, a 7-kilometer (more than four-mile) crescent walkway around Doha Bay that stretches from the pyramid-shaped Sheraton Hotel at the northern end to the Museum of Islamic Art at the south. In between are parks, restaurants and cultural attractions along the waterfront promenade.

    Those who venture to Doha’s labyrinthine Souq Waqif bazaar will find stores hawking spices and perfumes, scented oils, silk scarves and shimmering crystal chandeliers.

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link

  • Argentina airline adds 2 more flights for World Cup final

    Argentina airline adds 2 more flights for World Cup final

    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s national carrier scheduled two extra flights from Buenos Aires to Qatar to take soccer fans to the World Cup final.

    Both Aerolíneas Argentinas flights sold out quickly. The first one leaves from Argentina’s capital on Friday morning, and tickets for that flight were gone within a half-hour of the national team’s 3-0 victory over Croatia in the semifinals on Tuesday.

    Tickets for the second flight, which leaves Friday night, went on sale early Wednesday and were sold out within a couple of hours, the airline said in a statement.

    “We were able to get to the final stage of this successful operation thanks to the victories by the national team that allowed us to keep scheduling flights,” airline president Pablo Ceriani said. “Now we have to support them in this last game and we hope to bring the World Cup back home again.”

    The airline sold 540 roundtrip tickets for the two flights, with each one costing around 2 million pesos (more than $11,000).

    The flights are 19 hours long with a refueling stop in Rome. Aerolíneas Argentinas has provided a total of 12 flights for the World Cup.

    Argentina will play the winner of the France-Morocco semifinal match on Wednesday. The World Cup final is on Sunday at Lusail Stadium.

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link

  • Fans’ wild World Cup fashion draws praise, scorn in Qatar

    Fans’ wild World Cup fashion draws praise, scorn in Qatar

    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The World Cup in Qatar has become a political lightning rod, so it comes as no surprise that soccer fans’ sartorial style has sparked controversy.

    Forget your classic soccer jerseys – the streets of Doha have been transformed into a chaotic runway show in terms of fashion.

    Visitors from around the world are wearing revamped versions of traditional Gulf Arab headdresses and thobes. Western women have tried out hijabs. England fans have donned crusader costumes. The politically minded have made statements with rainbow accessories in Qatar, which criminalizes homosexuality.

    Fan fashion has drawn everything from amusement to outrage from locals in the tiny Muslim emirate that has seen nothing remotely like the spectacle of the World Cup before.

    The most popular style among foreign fans at this World Cup is the ghutra, the traditional head scarf worn by men across the Arabian Peninsula.

    If photographed at a Halloween party back home in Cape Town, South Africa, 60-year-old Gavin Coetzee admits his wardrobe choice might seem ill-conceived — even cringe-worthy. He asked a tailor to stitch together four African flags into a ghutra and stereotypical Arabian thobe, the long flowing tunic that Qatari men wear in crisp white.

    “I wouldn’t wear this in a Western country,” he said, referring to heightened cultural sensitivity there. But to his surprise, his costume has drawn elation and praise from locals in Qatar.

    “It’s been amazing. Everyone wants to take our photo, ask us where we’re from, they’re interested in why we put this outfit together,” he said, alongside two friends wearing the same get-up.

    The narrow alleys of Doha’s central Souq Waqif teem with vendors hawking ghutras in various national colors, from Brazil’s bright blue, green and yellow to Mexico’s tricolor red, white and green. The sellers iron and fold them to create a widow’s peak effect, carefully fitting the cloth to fans’ heads in the so-called cobra style of worn by Qataris.

    “I wanted to immerse in the culture. It’s fun to get to try new things,” said 41-year-old Ricardo Palacios from Venezuela, wearing a red-and-white checkered headdress. “Locals are in shock … that someone wearing a Spanish shirt is wearing this.”

    Qataris’ only complaint so far, Palacios added, is that “I don’t know how to do it right.” He said locals stop him in the street, restyling his headgear so it looks the way it should. Similar videos have been widely shared on social media.

    Qatari citizen Naji al-Naimi, a board member of Majlis al-Dama, a lively hub of coffee and backgammon in Doha’s outdoor marketplace, said the scores of international fans wearing his national dress don’t bother him in the least. Instead, he finds the trend endearing. He compared it to citizens of the Arabian Peninsula wearing jeans or suits when traveling in Europe.

    “We’re always trying to adjust and appeal to the customs and traditions of the host country,” he said.

    Among non-Muslim visitors, even the hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf showing piety to Allah, has emerged as trendy World Cup wear. Online videos show foreign women on the streets of Doha donning colorful headscarves, exclaiming how secure and cute they feel.

    Qatari-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera published a video last week showing a woman off-camera wrap hijabs around female fans she encountered in the street.

    “Amazing!” shrieked one Brazil fan.

    Qatar’s local population hasn’t taken kindly to other outfits, particularly England fans’ caped crusader costumes. The outfits, featuring a suit of chainmail armor, plastic helmet and shield emblazoned with an upright cross, are a nod to the Christian conquests of the Holy Land from the 11th to 13th centuries that pitted European invaders against Muslims.

    Footage circulating on Twitter showed Qatari security turning away fans dressed as crusaders before the England-Iran match in the tournament’s group stage. Others reported they were asked to surrender their costumes before England played the United States a few days later.

    “What is so painful is to see some visitors in our country praising the glories of Crusader Europe, which disgraced the honor of all Muslims,” said Ashraf al-Khadeer, a 33-year-old Qatari citizen in Doha.

    But the biggest flashpoint at the tournament so far has been rainbow clothing and other multicolored accessories as Qatar’s criminalization of homosexuality triggered a storm of criticism. After FIFA threatened European teams wearing “One Love” armbands with in-game discipline, some fans have taken it upon themselves to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community.

    Days after fans complained they were blocked from stadiums because of rainbow attire, FIFA offered assurances that Qatari security would allow the items into matches. The rule has been unevenly enforced.

    To avoid the hassle, a French advertising agency has promoted World Cup armbands printed with black-and-white Pantone cards that identify rainbow colors with numbers. Others have gone to extremes, such as the protester who stormed the field with a rainbow flag during the match between Portugal and Uruguay before being tackled by a steward.

    More broadly, the question of what to wear at the World Cup in Qatar, a conservative Muslim emirate, has sparked anxiety for female fans long before the tournament kicked off.

    Fan groups circulated advice for newcomers, discouraging women from wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts. The government-run tourism website asks visitors to “show respect for local culture by avoiding excessively revealing clothing,” and recommends men and women cover their shoulders and knees.

    So when Ivana Knöll, an Instagram model and former Croatian beauty queen, showed up to stadiums this week wearing a minidress that exposed much of her chest, some feared an international incident. But Knöll said she felt comfortable and that locals assured her she could wear whatever she wanted.

    On Friday, Knöll posted a photo on Instagram of Qatari men snapping photos as she strutted down stadium bleachers in tight leggings and a bra.

    “Thank you so much for your support!” she wrote to celebrate her 1 million followers, drawing comments in Qatar reflecting a mix of admiration, outrage and puzzlement.

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link

  • World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar’s 1 liquor store

    World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar’s 1 liquor store

    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — In a dusty neighborhood on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital, guards stand duty at a gated compound ringed with razor wire, carefully checking passports and permits before allowing anyone inside. But this isn’t a prison or a high-security area associated with the ongoing World Cup.

    It’s the liquor store.

    Rigid limits on alcohol are a fact of life in this conservative Muslim nation on the Arabian Peninsula, which follows the same strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam as its neighbor Saudi Arabia. Soccer fans coming to Qatar for the World Cup got a taste of that just before the tournament as authorities cancelled beer sales at stadiums.

    Yet corks continue to be popped in luxury boxes at games. Fans are filling pints from beer towers at dozens of hotel bars, lounges and nightclubs with liquor licenses. Sales of $14 Budweisers at Doha’s FIFA Fan Zone continue unabated.

    “Not to say that you need alcohol to fuel your life, but it’s a good time,” said Ed Ball, an American who created an online map for imbibers in Doha to find bars. “The idea being passed around that you can’t drink in Qatar is wrong. There are places.”

    In addition to the bars, there’s the liquor store where non-Muslim residents and visitors can shop after applying for a government-issued license. Located next to an Indian school in Doha’s dusty Abu Hamour neighborhood, it is run by the Qatar Distribution Co., a state-owned enterprise under the umbrella of Qatar Airways, which holds exclusive rights to distribute alcohol and pork in the country.

    The store — currently the only one selling liquor in Qatar — operates on an appointment system, harkening back to the strict coronavirus regulations that governed this country prior to just before the World Cup.

    On a recent visit, guards twice checked an Associated Press reporter’s identifications and appointments. Razor wire tops the compound’s high walls, which bar the public from a peek inside. Signs warn that any abuse aimed at the guards can result in an alcohol license being revoked. Empty silver-colored beer kegs are piled up in the parking lot.

    At the end of a chlorine-scented walkway, customers reach the entrance to the store. Inside, the shelves and stands are stocked with bottles of wine largely running from $12.50 up to $45. A liter of Absolut vodka goes for $42, while a liter of Jack Daniels whiskey sets a shopper back $70. A 24-pack of standard Budweiser cans costs nearly $52.

    A small section of the store offers frozen pork pepperoni pizzas, slabs of bacon, Spam and cans of pork and beans.

    Customers filled their carts or carried bottles and cans in their hands, checking against shopping lists or texting family members to double check what was needed. Several wore FIFA passes for the tournament around their necks.

    Outside the shop, a 31-year-old British woman who works as a school teacher in Qatar, filled the trunk of her car. She declined to offer her name, given the connotations drinking can carry in Qatari society, but dismissed criticism surrounding drinking and the tournament.

    “It’s really not that big of a deal,” she said of the licensing system in Qatar. “It’s like going to the supermarket — for alcohol.”

    She added that she thought the restrictions on sales for the matches also made sense. “I’m British. I know what it’s like to to be around drunk people all the time.”

    Across the wider Persian Gulf, alcohol remains banned in Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the sheikhdom of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Drinking alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam. Imams point to a verse in the Quran calling wine “the work of Satan.”

    But the region as a whole has a long history with alcohol, itself an Arabic word. The 8th century poet Abu Nawas even was known for his “khamriyyat,” or “wine poems.”

    Both alcohol and pork face a 100% import duty. Qatar says it uses the tax revenue to improve health care, infrastructure, education and other public services.

    Visitors are not allowed to bring alcohol into the country. Many hotels are dry and prohibit guests from bringing alcohol to their rooms.

    Even with those restrictions, Qatar sold 23.2 million liters of alcoholic drinks in 2021, according to data from Euromonitor International. Though dwarfed by the United Arab Emirates’ 115 million liters sold in the same period, Qatar’s numbers show a 14.6% growth as the pandemic waned.

    Meanwhile, Ball’s online map of bars in Qatar has been viewed over 875,000 times. An accompanying Twitter account shows him downing two pints of beer in 10 seconds.

    “For me, drinking is just like eating. It just goes along with the culture,” Ball told the AP after returning home to Seattle, where he works for Boeing Co. “I know it’s not part of Qatar … but it’s also part of the World Cup. One of the biggest sponsors is Budweiser so it just goes to show you it kind of goes hand in hand.”

    Bars in Qatar typically scan IDs of those heading in, with many working on a voucher system during the tournament to make sure fans spend at least certain amount.

    On Saturday night, a group of Russians screamed expletives at the U.S. team during its match with the Netherlands as they downed shots and posed for photographs with servers at Doha’s Irish Harp.

    Dermot O’Callaghan, a 66-year-old soccer fan from Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed a much calmer pint at the bar, swaying along to the Cuban band Chicas Melao.

    “It’s very enjoyable, you can get a drink here if you want in the evenings,” O’Callaghan said. “You do have a cohort of fans roaming around, looking for a drink.”

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    ___

    Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

    Source link

  • Built to disappear: World Cup stadium 974

    Built to disappear: World Cup stadium 974

    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Of the seven stadiums Qatar built for the World Cup, one will disappear after the tournament.

    That’s what the games’ organizers have said about Stadium 974 in Doha — a port-side structure with more than 40,000 seats partially built from recycled shipping containers and steel.

    Qatar says the stadium will be fully dismantled after the World Cup and could be shipped to countries that need the infrastructure. Outside experts have praised the design, but say more needs to be known about what happens to the stadium after the event.

    “Designing for disassembly is one of the main principles of sustainable building,” said Karim Elgendy, an associate fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank who previously worked as a climate consultant for the World Cup.

    “It allows for the natural restoration of a building site or its reuse for another function,” he said, adding that a number of factors need to considered “before we call a building sustainable.”

    Buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of the world’s energy-related carbon emissions. Of that, about 10% comes from “embodied” carbon or the greenhouse gas emissions related to the construction, maintenance and demolition of buildings.

    Qatar has faced international criticism for its treatment of low-paid migrant workers who built over $200 billion worth of stadiums, metro lines and other infrastructure for the World Cup. Qatar says the criticism ignores labor reforms enacted in recent years.

    Stadium 974, named after Qatar’s international dialing code and the number of containers used to build the stadium, is the only venue that Qatar constructed for the World Cup that isn’t air-conditioned. During a match Friday in which Switzerland defeated Serbia, the air was noticeably more humid and hot than in other venues.

    The stadium is hosting only evening matches, when temperatures are cooler.

    Fenwick Iribarren Architects, which designed Stadium 974 and two other World Cup stadiums, says the idea was to avoid building a “white elephant,” a stadium that is left unused or underused after the tournament ends, as happened following previous World Cups in South Africa, Brazil and Russia.

    Qatar says it has developed plans for the other six stadiums after the games are over. Many will have a number of seats removed.

    The multi-colored shipping containers are used as building blocks for Stadium 974 and also to house facilities such as restrooms in the interior of the structure. Like giant Lego blocks, the bright red, yellow and blue corrugated steel boxes appear suspended between layers of steel. The design gives the stadium an industrial feel.

    Qatar has not detailed where the dismounted stadium will go after the tournament or even when it will be taken down. Organizers have said the stadium could be repurposed to build a venue of the same size elsewhere or multiple smaller stadiums.

    Where its components go matters because of the emissions implicated by shipping them thousands of kilometers away.

    Carbon Market Watch, an environmental watchdog group that investigated Qatar’s World Cup sustainability plans, said whether Stadium 974 has a lower carbon footprint than a permanent one comes down to “how many times, and how far, the stadium is transported and reassembled.”

    FIFA and Qatar acknowledge that in a report estimating the stadium’s emissions. If the stadium is reused only once, they estimate its emissions would be lower than a permanent one as long as it is shipped fewer than 7,000 kilometers (about 4,350 miles) away.

    If it’s repurposed more than once, it could be shipped farther and still be less polluting than a permanent venue, they said, because of how energy-intensive building multiple new stadiums is.

    Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organizing committee for the World Cup, did not respond to a request for more information about plans after the tournament.

    The report also didn’t factor in operational emissions — or those produced from running a building — once the stadium is repurposed because standards vary in different countries, FIFA and Qatar said.

    “The energy required for dismantling and shipping the building components will obviously need to be estimated,” Elgendy said, “but it is unlikely to outweigh the carbon embodied in the building materials.”

    For now, the stadium’s design isn’t lost on spectators. On any game night, fans entering and leaving the stadium take selfies against its modern, industrial facade. The temporary stadium is hosting seven games in total — with the final one on Monday between Brazil and South Korea.

    Jhonarel Miñoza, a 42-year-old Qatari resident originally from the Philippines, said she and her sister wanted to see a game in each of the seven stadiums.

    Miñoza, an administrative officer who has lived in Qatar for five years, said she had heard about Stadium 974′s unconventional design before the game she attended on Friday.

    “I was really eager to know how they built it,” Miñoza said. “When I came inside here, I was just checking how they did that.”

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport

    Source link

  • Remote desert camps house World Cup fans on a budget

    Remote desert camps house World Cup fans on a budget

    AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — For scores of foreign soccer fans, the road to the World Cup in Doha starts every morning at a barren campsite in the middle of the desert.

    Visitors who found hotels in central Doha booked up or far beyond their budget have settled for the faraway, dust-blown tent village in Al Khor, where there are no locks on tents nor beers on draft.

    Others simply wanted an adventure. On Wednesday a DJ blasted electronic dance music around a fire pit as a smattering of fans lounged on beanbags, sipped sodas and gazed up at big screens roughly an hour from Doha.

    “I’m here because I couldn’t find anywhere else,” said Haidar Haji, a 27-year-old architectural engineer from Kuwait. He said it was a pain to trek into Doha every morning from the tent village, but he had no other option. “The hotels were just too expensive. It was crazy.”

    Even so, Al Khor fan village is not cheap. Haji said he’s paying $450 a night for his sparse makeshift shelter, which authorities advertise as a “perfect destination for a truly enjoyable and lavish stay.” The tents are equipped with plumbing and basic furniture. The site has a swimming pool and upscale Arabic restaurant.

    From the moment that Qatar was named host of the World Cup, fears mounted over how the tiny country would find rooms for the massive influx of 1.2 million fans — equal to almost one-third of the population.

    Qatar’s frenzied building program delivered tens of thousands of rooms through new hotels, rented apartments and even three giant cruise ships. But soaring prices have forced many thrifty fans into remote desert campsites and giant fan villages in Doha’s outer reaches, including one near the airport consisting of corrugated box rooms.

    At Al Khor Village, many fans complained about the isolation, and lack of alcohol.

    “Honestly, you can find more alcohol in Tehran,” said Parisa, a 42-year-old Iranian oil worker who declined to give her last name, citing the political situation in Iran. She was gazing into space in the campsite common area, and said she had little idea how to fill her time. Doha’s swanky hotel bars were miles away. “We thought they would open up more for the foreigners to have fun.”

    Paola Bernal from Tabasco, southern Mexico, wasn’t sure what to expect from the first World Cup in the Middle East. But she said she’s been surprised by how long it takes to traverse the world’s tiniest host country. The buses from the campsite are a “mess,” she said, and stop running at 10 p.m., forcing fans to fork out large sums for Uber rides.

    “There are such long distances, I don’t know how,” she said. Although some stadiums are linked to Doha’s gleaming new metro network, they often require a 2.5 kilometer (1.5 mile) walk from the stations. Other grounds can only be reached by bus, with some drop-off points a trek from stadium gates — and desirable bars and restaurants even further afield.

    Al Khor’s arid grounds are no selfie-taker’s paradise. But Nathan Thomas, a site designer, said he was very pleased with the “authentic Arabian” result. The only major worry, he said, is security. Not every tent is in eyeshot of a guard post. Tents have no locks. Their flaps easily untie.

    “We keep telling people it’s a safe country, don’t worry,” he said.

    From the Free Zone Fan Village, in the desert south of Doha, fans were lugging suitcases across large swaths of artificial turf under the glare of stadium lights. The manufactured cabins are some of the cheapest available accommodation, starting at roughly $200 a night. Every few minutes, low-flying planes roar over the village to the old airport, which has been reopened to handle daily shuttle flights to the tournament. Banners plastered on the trailers urge fans to “Cheer up.”

    Just days before the tournament, social media filled with images of toilets that had yet to be installed and wires still coiled on the dirt to hook up water and electricity.

    Many complained of excessively long waits to check in. A crowd of guests waiting in line Wednesday night said they couldn’t get their rooms because the reception desk wasn’t sure who had already checked out. “We wanted good vibes, good energy, to be with other people,” said Mouman Alani from Morocco. “This is very disorganized.”

    One camper on Twitter lambasted the site as “Fyre Festival 2.0,” referring to an infamous music festival billed as a luxury getaway that left fans scrambling for makeshift shelters on a dark beach.

    “When we went to our room, it was all messed up,” said Aman Mohammed, a 23-year-old from Kolkata, India, at the common area on Wednesday. He said he waited two hours under the searing sun for a cleaner to arrive the day before. “It was stinking so bad, like a bad bathroom. It was pathetic.”

    But, he insisted, there was no false advertising. The website shows scores of colorful metal boxes side by side in a vast dusty lot. And despite his disappointment, he said, the World Cup was ultimately about the soccer.

    “(Cristiano) Ronaldo is playing his last World Cup, I’m here just to see him,” Mohammed said, referring to the superstar competing for Portugal in the tournament. “To attend this is a dream for me since I was a child.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Jon Gambrell in Doha contributed to this report.

    Source link

  • Swedish cyclist pedals to Egypt to raise climate awareness

    Swedish cyclist pedals to Egypt to raise climate awareness

    SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — She has pedaled thousands of miles from Sweden to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to deliver a simple message: Stop climate change.

    The trip took 72-year-old activist Dorothee Hildebrandt and her pink e-bike — which she fondly calls Miss Piggy, after the temperamental character from The Muppet Show — more than four months. She crisscrossed Europe and the Middle East until she arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula.

    Her mission is to raise awareness and urge world leaders gathered at the annual U.N. climate conference known as COP27 to take concrete steps to stop climate change, she said. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and scientists say the amount of heat-trapping gases needs to be almost halved by 2030, to meet temperature-limiting goals of the Paris climate accord of 2015.

    Since her arrival a week ago, Hildebrandt and her e-bike have become a fixture at the summit. From a friend’s place where she is staying, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the conference center, she bikes to the COP27 venue every day, meeting other activists and attending events. Many are keen to take photos with her around the conference venue.

    “They really have to stop climate change,” Hildebrandt says of the world leaders. “Even if it is uncomfortable.”

    “It was uncomfortable for me … this long ride,” she told The Associated Press. But she wanted to show that if there’s a will, “you can do it,” she said.

    Past climate talks have traditionally seen very large protests at the end of the first week of the two-week summit, often drawing thousands. This year has been mostly muted, with sporadic and small demonstrations during the first week. Activists have blamed the high cost of travel, accommodation and restrictions in the isolated Egyptian city for limiting the numbers of demonstrators.

    The largest demonstration so far was on Saturday, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden made his stop at the summit. Hundreds of protesters chanted, sang, and danced in an area not far from where the negotiations were taking place amid tight security.

    Born in the town of Kassel in central Germany, Hildebrandt says she got her first bicycle at the age of 10 and never stopped pedaling. In 1978 she moved to Sweden to marry her ex-husband.

    She retired in 2015. Her activism and biking, which she documents on social media, is for the children and further generations of the world, she says. A sign on her bike reads, “Biking for Future and Peace.”

    In her hometown of Katrineholm, 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of Stockholm, the Swedish capital, she founded “GrandmasForFuture – Katrineholm” in the town. The group focuses on raising awareness on climate change among other things.

    Hildebrandt says she also wants Western industrialized nations to pay for the destruction they have caused so far — an issue called loss and damage, about reparations from big polluters to the global south that have been hurt the most.

    Unhappy with results from the previous climate conference, COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, she saw her chance in Sharm el-Sheikh.

    Starting out on July 1, Hildebrandt cycled through 17 countries, covering 8,228 kilometers (5,112 miles), averaging about 80 kilometers (49 miles) a day. Her Facebook posts got thousands of views and she says she received positive feedback both from followers and people she met along the way.

    In the Turkish coastal city of Antalya, her bike broke down. A cyclist, who works in tourism in the city, took Hildebrandt and her bike to a mechanic for repairs, and she was able to continue on.

    And in Lebanon, she took taxies from the port city of Tripoli to Beirut for her safety. She then had a mandatory guide with a vehicle and a driver to travel to the Jordanian border through Syria.

    “I could have used my bike throughout Syria, but the costs would have been too high for me,” she said.

    Even in Sinai, local authorities barred her from cycling from the port of Nuweiba to Sharm el-Sheikh, apparently for her safety, she said.

    Still, she is confident she has gotten her message across.

    On Thursday, she was invited to cycle with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, an avid cyclist. She asked the president about the lack of large protests, compared to previous summits. She said el-Sissi said protests are not barred in Egypt.

    “Everyone is allowed to demonstrate everywhere in Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh” he told her, Hildebrandt says.

    COP27 has turned a spotlight on a yearslong crackdown on dissent in Egypt, where most public protests are effectively banned by authorities.

    After the summit ends Nov. 18, Hildebrandt will bike to Cairo, then on to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria before going to Israel’s port of Haifa and from there, on to Greece.

    ___

    Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

    ___

    Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    Source link

  • World Cup prize money disparity is an obstacle to Equal Pay

    World Cup prize money disparity is an obstacle to Equal Pay

    World Cup prize money continues to be a sticking point for equality in soccer, despite the historic equal pay agreement between U.S. Soccer and its men’s and women’s teams.

    Earlier this year, the U.S. national teams decided to split prize money, which means that the haul from playing in the sport’s most prestigious tournaments will be distributed equally between players for both teams — after the federation takes a cut off the top.

    It was a landmark agreement, hailed as an important step for equality even beyond sports. But other nations haven’t followed suit.

    At the heart of the matter is the huge disparity in prize money between the men’s and women’s tournaments — and how it is eventually passed on by federations to their players.

    FIFA has earmarked $440 million in prize money for this year’s men’s World Cup. The winner in Qatar will take home $42 million.

    The U.S. women won $4 million from a $30 million pot at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed doubling the prize money for the 2023 event, but the field has expanded from 24 to 32 teams.

    That could change. FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura recently suggested that the final prize money total for the women could be greater.

    “Today, the men’s World Cup is the one that is funding all the FIFA competitions, including the Women’s World Cup. But we have seen new trends in terms of revenues,” she said at an event in Sydney.

    Some countries — including Australia, Ireland, Brazil, Norway and others — have made significant strides toward equal match and appearance fees, but an equal division of pooled World Cup prize money hasn’t been part of those deals.

    Brazil announced equal pay for its men’s and women’s teams in 2020 but the agreement pays the women a “proportionately equal” amount — or the same percentage — of World Cup prize money.

    In July, Spain’s federation also agreed to give its female players a percentage of bonuses equal to the men’s side, as well as earnings from sponsorships, image rights and improved working conditions. It did not reveal specifics.

    Lisa Delpy Neirotti, associate professor of Sport Management at George Washington University, said there is a three-pronged approach for equal pay: Public sentiment has to be for it, the women have to be unified in their demands, and the players needs allies, as in the case of the U.S. men’s team.

    That might be a tough ask in countries like France and Germany, both successful World Cup nations, because the men’s team would give up a lucrative payday. France, which won $38 million for winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia, distributed $11 million between the 23 players on the squad.

    In contrast, the U.S. women have been more successful than the men, winning the last two World Cups. The U.S. men failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia.

    “If the (U.S.) women continue to do better than the men, it’s not really hurting the men. Even though the men get more, the women can actually contribute just as much if they keep going,” Neirotti said. “But it’s not always the same economics in other countries — those other countries where the men go further in the tournament and thus generate a larger prize pool. So obviously the economics of coupling that with women would probably be more significantly hurting the men than the women.”

    Players like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn tirelessly campaigned for pay equity, spurring chants of “Equal Pay” at the World Cup final three years ago in France and gaining public support. Then the women worked with the men’s union to forge an agreement, securing both sides a larger share of the overall prize money after the federation’s stake.

    U.S. Soccer will take 10% of the money awarded to each team, then split the rest among the players on the two teams’ World Cup rosters.

    For the 2026 and 2027 tournaments, the USSF will take 20% and split the rest in a similar manner.

    Australia, which co-hosts the 2023 Women’s World Cup, has instead called on FIFA to equalize the prize pools. The Socceroos, as they’re known, will get a cut of the prize money if the team advances to the knockout round. But the federation also has plans to put the windfall into a second-tier women’s league and a national women’s competition.

    Canada’s men, currently in contentious contract talks with the federation, have asked for 40% of World Cup prize money, a friends and family travel package and an “equitable structure with our women’s national team that shares the same player match fees, percentage of prize money earned at our respective FIFA World Cups and the development of a women’s domestic league.”

    Canada’s women have said they do not consider an equal percentage of prize money as equal pay.

    “Canada Soccer has been engaged in ongoing discussions with our National Teams, which are and have always been anchored on our values of fairness and pay equity — addressing previously unbalanced standards. That means dollars, not percentages,” Canada Soccer said in a statement. The federation says there has been progress in the negotiations.

    For now, at least while FIFA’s disparities in prize money exist, getting men’s teams on board is what it will likely take for women’s teams to win equal pay, said Gina Antoniello, clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Professional Studies.

    “So how can we get that allyship? Because it’s the right thing to do. Because women’s rights are human rights,” Antoniello said. “It is, I think, a little bit of a delicate balance, to collaborate, but not be pandered to.”

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link

  • EXPLAINER: Qatar’s vast wealth helps it host FIFA World Cup

    EXPLAINER: Qatar’s vast wealth helps it host FIFA World Cup

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Qatar is home to some 2.9 million people, but only a small fraction — around one in 10 — are Qatari citizens. They enjoy massive wealth and benefits fueled by Qatar’s shared control of one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas.

    The tiny country on the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula juts out into the Persian Gulf. There lies the North Field, the world’s largest underwater gas field, which Qatar shares with Iran. The gas field holds approximately 10% of the world’s known natural gas reserves.​

    Oil and gas have made the 50-year-old country fantastically wealthy and influential. In a matter of decades, Qatar’s roughly 300,000 citizens have been pulled from the hard livelihood of fishing and pearl diving.

    The country is now an international transit hub with a profitable national airline, a force behind the influential Al Jazeera news network and is paying for the expansion of the largest U.S. military base in the Mideast.

    Here’s a look at Qatar’s economy and how this tiny country was able to spend so much to host the FIFA World Cup:

    QATAR’S ECONOMIC STRENGTH

    For most of its existence, the tribes of Qatar relied on pearl diving and fishing for survival. Like other parts of the Gulf, it was a harsh and bare existence. The discovery of oil and gas in the mid-20th century changed life in the Arabian Peninsula forever.

    While much of the world grapples with recession and inflation, Qatar and other Gulf Arab energy producers are reaping the benefits of high energy prices. The International Monetary Fund expects Qatar’s economy to grow by about 3.4% this year.

    Despite a massive spending spree to prepare for the World Cup, the country still earned more than it spent last year, giving it a cushy surplus that is continuing into 2022. Qatar’s riches are likely to grow as it expands capacity to be able to export more natural gas by 2025.

    Its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, manages and invests the country’s financial reserves.

    QATAR’S WORLD CUP SPENDING

    Qatar has spent some $200 billion on infrastructure and other development projects since winning the bid to host the five-week long World Cup, according to official statements and a report from Deloitte.

    Around $6.5 billion of that was spent on building eight stadiums for the tournament, including the Al Janoub stadium designed by the late acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid.

    Billions were also spent to build a metro line, new airport, roads and other infrastructure ahead of the matches.

    The London-based research firm Capital Economics said ticket sales suggest that around 1.5 million tourists will visit Qatar for the World Cup. If each visitor stayed for 10 days and spent $500 a day, spending per visitor would amount to $5,000, the research firm said. That could amount to a $7.5 billion boost to Qatar’s economy this year. However, some fans may fly in just for the matches while staying in nearby Dubai and elsewhere.

    QATAR’S LAVISH BENEFITS

    Like other rich petro-states in the Gulf, Qatar is not a democracy. Decisions are made by the ruling Al Thani family and its chose advisors. Citizens have little say in their country’s major policy decisions.

    The government, however, provides citizens with vast perks that have helped to ensure continued loyalty and support. Qatari citizens enjoy tax-free incomes, high-paying government jobs, free health care, free higher education, financial support for newlyweds, housing support, generous subsidies that cover utility bills and plush retirement benefits.

    The country’s citizens rely on laborers from other countries to fill jobs in the service sector, such as drivers and nannies, and to do the tough construction work that built modern-day Qatar.

    QATAR’S MIGRANT LABOR FORCE

    The country has faced intense scrutiny for its labor laws and treatment of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, mostly from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other South Asian countries. These men live in shared rooms on labor camps and work throughout the long summer months, with just a few hours of midday respite. They often go years without seeing their families back home.

    The work is often dangerous, with Amnesty International saying dozens may have died from apparent heat stroke.

    Rights groups have credited Qatar with improving its labor laws, such as by adopting a minimum monthly wage of around $275 in 2020, and for dismantling the “kafala” system that had prevented workers from changing jobs or leaving the country without the consent of their employers.

    Human Rights Watch, however has urged Qatar to improve compensation for migrant workers who suffered injury, death and wage theft while working on World Cup-related projects.

    ___

    Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ayaelb.

    Source link

  • FIFA urges World Cup teams to focus on soccer over politics

    FIFA urges World Cup teams to focus on soccer over politics

    GENEVA (AP) — FIFA’s top officials have urged the 32 teams preparing for the most political World Cup in the modern era to focus on the game in Qatar and avoid handing out lessons in morality.

    A letter urging teams to “let football take center stage” was sent by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura ahead of intense media focus on coaches and players when World Cup squads are announced next week.

    “Please, let’s now focus on the football!” Infantino and Samoura wrote, asking the 32 soccer federations to “not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”

    Qatar being picked in 2010 as World Cup host sparked scrutiny on its treatment of low-paid migrant workers needed to build projects costing tens of billions of dollars and its laws criminalizing same-sex relationships.

    FIFA’s comments in defense of Qatar follows more strident targeting of critics in recent weeks by public officials, including the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as the Nov. 20 kickoff nears.

    The Emir two weeks ago denounced “fabrications and double standards” in what he has called an “unprecedented campaign” against a World Cup host nation.

    Eight European teams have committed to their captains wearing heart-shaped armbands — in breach of FIFA rules — to support an anti-discrimination campaign launched in the Netherlands, and Australia players took part in a video airing concerns about Qatar’s human rights record.

    Several coaches and federations, including the United States, have backed calls to create a compensation fund for migrant workers’ families. Denmark’s squad is taking a black team jersey as a sign of “mourning” for those who died in Qatar.

    The Dutch soccer federation pushed back at FIFA late Friday, restating its commitment to leave “lasting improvements in the situation of migrant workers in Qatar.”

    The Netherlands plays Qatar on Nov. 29 in Group A and the team’s officials pledged on Friday to press FIFA on creating a long-term resource center in Doha for migrant workers when world soccer’s 211 member federations meet hours before attending the World Cup opening game.

    Iran has also faced calls to be removed before it plays England in the second game of the World Cup on Nov. 21 in a group that also includes the U.S.

    Iranian fan groups want the federation suspended for discriminating against women, and Ukraine soccer officials asked FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup for human rights violations and supplying the Russian military with weapons.

    Infantino moved from Switzerland to live in Doha for the past year during preparations for what he has consistently said would be the best World Cup ever.

    “We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world,” the FIFA leaders wrote on Thursday in their letter that did not address or identify any specific issue.

    “At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs, without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world. One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity.”

    Infantino and Samoura added: “No one people or culture or nation is ‘better’ than any other. This principle is the very foundation stone of mutual respect and non-discrimination. And this is also one of the core values of football.”

    They repeated long-standing promises made by Qatar, including by its Emir at the United Nations general assembly in New York in September, that all visitors to Qatar will be welcome “regardless of origin, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or nationality.”

    In a separate in-house interview published on Friday by FIFA, Samoura acknowledged the perception of Qatar “as a conservative society, like my own country in Senegal.”

    “But let me tell you one thing — Qataris are the most hospitable people you can find on earth,” said the former U.N. official, who is also of Muslim faith.

    Frustration with the scrutiny on the first Arab host of the World Cup led at least two government ministers this week to suggest race as a motive.

    “Is such racism acceptable in Europe in the 21st century? Football belongs to everyone,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in an interview with French daily Le Monde published on Friday.

    Labor Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri said this week that calls to create a compensation fund for migrant workers were a “publicity stunt,” and cited a Qatari-backed scheme that had paid tens of millions of dollars.

    FIFA and Qatari officials have long insisted hosting the World Cup accelerated the modernizing of labor laws which Samoura said on Friday was accepted as a model for regional neighbors to follow.

    About 1.2 million international visitors are expected in Qatar during the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament.

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sportsc

    Source link

  • EXPLAINER: Traveling to, around Qatar during FIFA World Cup

    EXPLAINER: Traveling to, around Qatar during FIFA World Cup

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Some 1.2 million people are expected to pour into Qatar during the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup that begins this month.

    With fans coming from all over the world, reaching Qatar on the Arabian Peninsula, as well as getting around once there, remains a concern. Estimates suggest that as many as half a million people may be in the country each day during the height of the competition.

    However, fans have a variety of transportation options to choose from ahead of the tournament.

    Here’s a look at how to get there, where to go and how to move around.

    FLYING TO QATAR

    Qatar has become a hub for East-West travel, thanks to its long-haul carrier Qatar Airways. Already, the airline is offering tailored flight, hotel and ticket options for its customers. Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is gearing up to have its low-cost carrier FlyDubai run as many as 30 trips a day into Doha to allow spectators to watch a match and then shuttle back to hotels in the emirate. Those flying in will land at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, a massive airport that Qatar built for $15 billion and opened in 2014. The airport has plans to expand further in 2022 to handle 58 million passengers a year. Passengers will clear immigration and customs checks before heading out into the city. Note that during the tournament, Qatar won’t be issuing normal visas and those coming for the matches must have a Qatari-issued Hayya Card. The card verifies you have housing for the time you’re in the country or will travel in just for the match you’re watching. The Hayya Card also is required for entry into stadiums. Also keep in mind that Qatar has only one land border, with Saudi Arabia, if you’re thinking about driving.

    CORONAVIRUS CONSIDERATIONS

    Qatar has had strict rules regarding travel and the coronavirus since the pandemic began, but they were loosened as of Nov. 1. Qatar has dropped a requirement for PCR testing prior to your trip to the country, and said it’s no longer required to download its Ehteraz contact-tracing app.

    HOW TO GET AROUND QATAR

    As you walk out of the airport, you have several options on how to get around. Qatar’s state-owned Mowasalat transportation company offers taxi cabs at curbside. Major ride-hailing apps like Uber also work in Qatar. Mowasalat runs a bus service at the airport, too. Doha also has a recently built metro service, which will take you from the airport to most areas in the capital. The metro also connects to a tram now running in Lusail. You can rent a car at the airport, though officials are urging those coming to the tournament to take mass transit. On match day, public transport will be free to those holding tickets. Keep in mind that Qatar’s riyal currency trades at $1 to 3.64 riyals. There are 100 dirhams in each riyal.

    WHAT TO SEE WHILE IN QATAR

    Outside of the tournament, Doha has several cultural sites to visit. Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art offers both interesting views inside its galleries and a view outside of the city’s skyline. Nearby is Doha’s Souq Waqif, which has traditional storefronts and gifts for sale — including even a falcon section. The National Museum of Qatar, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, is a take on the desert rose. Qatar’s National Library also is renowned for its design. Doha’s Mall of Qatar has some 500,000 square meters (5.3 million square feet) for shopping. There are also beachfront resorts and tour companies offer trips into Qatar’s desert expanses as well.

    ___

    Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

    Source link

  • Viewer’s guide for the World Cup in Qatar

    Viewer’s guide for the World Cup in Qatar

    A last chance for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kylian Mbappé back on the biggest stage of all. Brazil bidding for a record-extending sixth title.

    One of the most eagerly anticipated World Cups in memory — as much for off-the-field reasons as those on it — is just around the corner in Qatar and excitement is building after the qualification period was wrapped.

    Thirty-two teams, 64 matches, 29 days. The first World Cup in the Middle East.

    The tournament starts on Nov. 20 and the final is set for Dec. 18.

    Here’s a few things to watch when the tournament gets going in the smallest country ever to host a World Cup, where some fans will be staying in floating hotels when they head over to take in the games:

    TOP TEAMS

    Brazil (No. 1 in FIFA ranking). Neymar, Vinícius Júnior and the rest of the flair-filled Selecao are peaking at the right time. Is a first World Cup title since 2002 on the horizon?

    Belgium (No. 2). The “Golden Generation” is gradually breaking up but there’s still Kevin De Bruyne leading the Belgian charge.

    Argentina (No. 3). No World Cup title since the days of the great Diego Maradona. This will be the first World Cup since his death in November 2020 and Argentina is improving, with Messi still at its core.

    France (No. 4). The defending champions. Still the country with the most depth to its squad, despite a growing injury list. Now with Mbappé AND Karim Benzema leading the attack. No team has retained its World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.

    England (No. 5). The team has hit a bad patch of form — winless in six games — but has a strong track record in recent major tournaments. England was a semifinalist at the World Cup in 2018 and a finalist at the European Championship in 2021.

    BIG STARS

    Lionel Messi, Argentina. The seven-time world player of the year might have been saving his 35-year-old legs for one last push at a World Cup winner’s medal that, to many, would solidify him as soccer’s greatest player.

    Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal. He has won the European Championship but the leading scorer in men’s international soccer hasn’t played in a World Cup final, let alone won one. He’s 37 years old now — make the most of him while you can.

    Kylian Mbappé, France. The star of the last World Cup at the age of 19 and he is only getting better. The speedy striker could match Brazil great Pelé in being a champion at his first two World Cups.

    Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium. Widely regarded as the world’s best midfielder, his driving runs are among the best sights in soccer. Belgium just has to hope he arrives healthy.

    Neymar, Brazil. Often overshadowed by Mbappé and Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, still the main man for Brazil. Watch out for tricks and flicks, and some histrionics, too.

    HOW IT WORKS

    Get ready for a feast of soccer. There are eight groups of four teams, with the top two advancing to the 16-team knockout stage.

    There will be four games back-to-back per day — yes, four! — for most of the first two sets of group games, then simultaneous kickoffs for the last two games in each group.

    There’ll be no break for the knockout stage, which begins the day after the group stage ends. The first day without soccer comes on Dec. 7 — the 17th day of competition.

    MUST-SEE GAMES

    Qatar vs. Ecuador, Nov. 20. The first match of the tournament and always a date to save on the calendar.

    Argentina vs. Mexico, Nov. 26. The first of the big continental rivalries in the group stage, with Messi potentially sealing his and Argentina’s spot in the last 16.

    Spain vs. Germany, Nov. 27. Surely there can’t have been many bigger group-stage matches than this at a World Cup? Two recent champions, two giants of European and world soccer.

    Iran vs. United States, Nov. 29. It has been labeled as “The Mother of All Games Part II.” Just like at the World Cup in 1998, the two countries will meet in the group stage in a politically charged matchup. Diplomatic relations have yet to be restored between the nations since being severed in 1980.

    Ghana vs. Uruguay, Dec. 2. Anyone remember the night of July 2, 2010? In the last minute of extra time in a World Cup quarterfinal match between Uruguay and Ghana, Luis Suarez deliberately stopped the ball with his hand on the goalline, got sent off, only for Ghana to miss the penalty and lose in a shootout as Suarez celebrated on the sideline. Revenge would be sweet for Ghana.

    ___

    More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    Source link