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The United Arab Emirates could do no more than watch the ball ricochet off the right post and into the net. It was Jan. 29, and the goal of the United Arab Emirates was to come back 2-0 to Qatar, which would finally score two more goals against the hosts to qualify for the Cup final. Asia and impose it.
The Asian Cup was not a tournament apart: it was a proxy in the wider Gulf conflict. Since June 2017, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are blocking Qatar, accusing it of sponsoring terrorism and moving closer to Iran. The blockade prevented most Qataris from traveling to the United Arab Emirates to watch matches. Qatar defeated its two opponents in the tournament despite the fact that its team was screwed up by sandals and bottles by hostile supporters. This is one of the many victories of 2019 that Qatar has accumulated in the world of football, on and off the field, making this sport a vital and successful diplomatic weapon for the country.
In April, Qatar's candidate Souad al-Mohannadi was elected to the FIFA Council, which allowed Qatar to strengthen its ties with the international governing body of football. In addition, Saudi and Emirati candidates have lost their candidacy for the council. The Asian Cup had already consolidated the status of Qatar as the best country in the world of football in the Gulf. But nothing is more precious than the 2022 World Cup, which Qatar sees as essential to its brand and its legitimacy as a nation.
When we think of England and Brazil, we think of football. Qatar wants to be seen the same way.
Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Business, Salford Business School
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lobbied FIFA to let it co-host the World Cup by extending the maximum number of tournaments from 32 to 48. This project was canceled after the announcement of FIFA President Gianni Infantino on June 26th. On May 22, it was not possible to increase the number of teams. Doha, the capital of Qatar, has invested billions of dollars to badert itself as the de facto football destination in the Middle East and keep the price for itself.
"The World Cup is part of the branding and building efforts of the nation of Qatar," said Simon Chadwick, professor of sports business at the Salford Business School in Manchester . "When we think of England and Brazil, we think of football. Qatar wants to be seen in the same way. "
The battle for regional supremacy through football goes both ways. In an attempt to make Qatar a pariah state, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have tried to undermine Doha's growing influence in football. The Emirates funded London-based consultancy Cornerstone Global Associates, which issued a report to the BBC saying the World Cup was at risk of being removed from Qatar, citing abuses against migrant workers and corruption.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also play a central role in an international consortium that has released US $ 25 billion to enable the governing body to create two new international football tournaments, a new World Cup of Clubs and a League of the United Nations. But the agreement also sells these competitions to the consortium. This deal was widely perceived as a bribe attempt by FIFA to persuade Qatar to increase the number of teams at the next World Cup. The widening of the competition would have forced Qatar to share some of the matches with neighboring states, due to the necessary resources. But since Oman did not have the stadium infrastructure and Kuwait would not want to upset Riyadh, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were the only options.
FIFA has made it clear that any extension would require the Doha deal, but Qatar was not about to put pressure on the tournament split. And it turned out that FIFA was not either. "This decision was not surprising," said Keir Radnedge, football policy expert and president of the International Sports Press. "It was simply impossible for Qatar to share anything with Saudi Arabia unless there was a coup d'etat."
Publicly, Qatar's regional rivals are trying to underestimate Doha's latest success in football diplomacy. "It's FIFA's decision, not ours," said Terki Awad, board member of the Saudi Football Federation, adding that the kingdom was not disappointed with the decision to keep the FIFA World Cup. world in Qatar. Doha issued an official statement saying it was still open to a 48-team tournament, but time constraints and logistical issues were not making the plan feasible for 2022.
But just after the announcement of FIFA, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have launched a joint bid to host the U20 World Cup in 2021. Wael Jabir, co-founder of the football agency and Ahdaaf magazine, based in Dubai, sees a sign of frustration. "Organizing big football tournaments is one of the biggest battles of influence in the Gulf," he said.
As 2022 approaches, Saudi Arabia and its allies are facing a particularly delicate debate: whether to go to the Qatar World Cup or not. Awad said that if Saudi Arabia qualified, the national team would play in Doha. Jabir expects the UAE to do the same, saying neither their people nor FIFA would be happy with a boycott. But Radnedge points out that the presence of Saudi and Emirati fans at the World Cup would give Qatar the legitimacy coveted by football. "Qatar would be happy if the Saudi and Emirati fans were attending the games," he said. If their teams took part, it would be an even stronger diplomatic victory for Qatar, effectively undermining the economic blockade against Doha.
The Saudis or the Emirates should also find a way to compete at the Qatar level if they qualify. Jabir says the Qatar national team is ahead of its Gulf neighbors with its Aspire Academy, created in 2006. The academy recruits and develops young players from the region, many of whom are sons of foreign workers. Almoez Ali, from Sudan, is a former student of the academy. He won the Golden Shoe at the Asian Cup after scoring nine goals.
These goals included a goal in the match against the UAE. "Qatar's match against the UAE was much more than a football match," said Jabir. "They did not feel like they were going to play football; it was like they were going to make war. "
The United Arab Emirates – a country also handicapped by its small population and limited player pool – is expected to create a rival academy to bridge the gap with the Qatar national team, according to Jabir. But, he says, the Emirates do not carry out such a project. "The UAE does not want to be seen as imitators or inspired by the success of Qatar," he says.
This stubbornness only benefits in Qatar. And with the approach of the World Cup, the tiny nation holds most cards while it seeks to overshadow its enemies through the diplomacy of football on the world stage.
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