Socceroos campaign over, what was it like in Qatar, Doha Diary

The World Cup carries on but the Socceroos’ exit means the end of the journey for many travelling Australian fans and media in Qatar.

It’s been a thrilling ride for those lucky enough to be here. Here’s some reflections on the tournament, and the host nation, after an eye-opening three weeks covering a World Cup like no other.

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THE GOOD

It’s hard to argue Qatar is putting on a great show – the kind you’d expect from a reported $US220 billion outlay. The stadiums, pitches and infrastructure built for the event have been brilliant.

But the centerpiece of Qatar 2022’s success so far has been the product itself – the football.

Many, including Australian coach Graham Arnold, had forecast the first ever November-December World Cup could be full of surprise results and it’s proved the case with Asian and African teams in particular over-performing.

It’s a dream scenario for the hosts because, after years of controversial build-up, people have been actually talking about football.

Most group stage qualification battles have gone down to the wire on the final days, creating plenty of excitement, drama and buzz and you could feel it around the city.

Away from the pitch, pre-tournament fears about exorbitant prices and finding a beer haven’t really lived up to the reality. Yes, if you’re only buying meals at official World Cup venues you will rack up a bill but that’s the case anywhere, even in Australia. Once you find your feet in Doha, and ask around, you realise there are plenty of great food options that are not only affordable, but cheap.

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The difficulty of getting a drink was also overblown. It is readily available in many of the city hotels which haven’t been as overcrowded or hard to get into as many expected.

Another noteable part of the experience in Qatar — at least from my own personal experience — is that it feels like one of the safest places on the planet. The oil-rich nation’s crime rate is extremely low, unsurprising given the consequences can be real, and harsh, but there also seems to be a general level of respect you might not experience elsewhere.

There aren’t many places in the world you can walk home from a game at 3 or 4am in the morning, carrying expensive equipment, and not feel the least bit threatened. Serious and petty crime does exist of course — and the experience may be different for people of other ethnicity, sexualty or religion — but I didn’t come across anybody who experienced it during the tournament.

THE BAD

While it’s been mostly a positive experience, Qatar 2022 has also had some challenges for those attending.

There were concerns about how the country would cope with the influx of visitors during the tournament and while it’s not as bad as many thought, getting around town proved a battle at times.

The city’s new $36bn metro system has apparently eased the strain on the roads but it’s still not uncommon to experience Los Angeles-like traffic or gridlock, especially travelling at night.

Around the stadiums could be a frustrating logistical experience for too – the post-game herding of people through complicated fenced routes seemed unnecessary at times. It made for some lengthy journeys home and late ones, especially with the unfriendly 10pm local kickoff times.

If there’s another disappointment to be found it’s probably the atmosphere, or lack of, inside some of the stadiums. There were certainly exceptions – the noise levels at Tunisia vs Denmark are some of the loudest I’ve heard at a sporting event, while the Argentine fans had the house rocking during their 2-1 win over the Socceroos.

But other games were noticably flat, and didn’t really even feel like a World Cup match, perhaps a reflection of the fact many traveling spectators were more casual fans —  not the hardcore types that typically generate the bulk of the noise — and the hosts’ last-minute beer backflip that meant alcohol as not served within venues.

THE UGLY

While it’s easy to get swept up in the glitz, glamour and excitement of the event there were moments that brought things into perspective.

One of our many Uber and taxi rides sticks in my mind as our driver opened up and told us, “the things you hear about the human rights in Qatar, it is true.”

He was from Pakistan and came last year in search of a better wage to provide for his family back home but, like many who did the same, has struggled to make ends meet due to exorbitant recruitment fees to secure jobs and contracts that pay less than initially promised.

 “After the World Cup I think I will go home,” he said. “Because if I am not earning more and have to be away from my family, why am I here?”

It is a complex issue, of course, and one not unique to Qatar, which insists it has made significant progress on workers’ rights as part of its legacy project from hosting the tournament.

His story was one of several similar ones we heard from good, hard-working people (many we met were also happy and had few complaints, it must be said).

The migrant workforce is the heartbeat of the country – making up a reported 95 per cent of the country’s workers – but it became clear over the three weeks where they fit into the hierarchy and, sadly, how wide the wealth gap is.

BEST MOMENT

Back to football; given the low expectations coming into the tournament, Socceroos fans probably would have welcomed even one truly magical World Cup moment in Qatar. Instead there were many.

Scoring in all four of their matches for the first time in Australian football history, Graham Arnold’s team took the nation on a thrilling ride that featured encounters with global megastars including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

The highlight had to be Mathew Leckie’s sensational solo goal that sealed a 1-0 upset over Denmark and the nation’s second ever berth in the round of 16.

Like Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell, Mile Jedinak and Brett Holman before them Leckie, Craig Goodwin, Harry Souttar and Mitch Duke created memories for Australians in Qatar, and back home, that’ll be some of the longest lasting from an unforgettable journey.