Qatar WC | Fans and Atmosphere Watch

Sultan

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I'm glad I went there to experience in person, there was a mis mash of fans from all over, it never felt unsafe or like anything was going to kick off. I don't think I'll experience anything like it again like this again in terms of the melting pot of fans. The atmosphere was brilliant and was great to see so many African and South Asian fans who were able to experience a world cup in person.
Cherish the moments, bro. We were intending to come over the last week to watch the semis and final. Unfortunately, couldn't make the trip due to unforeseen circumstances.
 

Redfrog

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Half empty stadium for a World Cup final… Emptyhad at his finest. You can buy a World Cup but you can’t buy football.
 

2mufc0

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Cherish the moments, bro. We were intending to come over the last week to watch the semis and final. Unfortunately, couldn't make the trip due to unforeseen circumstances.
That's unfortunate, hope all is well.
 

Rood

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There were some empty seats in corporate areas which is a shame when it's sold out and many fans couldn't get in

it always looks worse than it really is because the cameras focus there whereas most of the stadium is packed
 

Sultan

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Half empty stadium for a World Cup final… Emptyhad at his finest. You can buy a World Cup but you can’t buy football.
There were only a few tickets available on the resell websites and were being snapped up selling for up to 2k with the game having already started.

Half empty indeed.
 

Sultan

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A number of federations had purchased tickets but did not return these in time.
 

AlPistacho

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There were some empty seats in corporate areas which is a shame when it's sold out and many fans couldn't get in

it always looks worse than it really is because the cameras focus there whereas most of the stadium is packed
Also saw a video. A lot of the seat with Qatari fans can look empty from a distance because they wear white and tend to sit down and don’t move around much.

I noticed today, immediately after half time lots of empty seats in the middle tier that took about 5 minutes to fill up again. Anyone wanting to make a misleading point could easily just take a picture of that and attach it to an article.
 

AlPistacho

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Not sure you answered the question. Again, do you think that anyone that expressed reservations about the world cup is racist? Yes or no will do.
Do you still steal your neighbours lingerie from their washing line? Yes or no will do.
 

AlPistacho

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You made a claim which you can't back up. This response to being called out on it is fairly pathetic.
I backed it up. You refusing to acknowledge any thing that goes against what you’ve been conditioned to believe is what’s, I won’t even say pathetic, but sad although not unexpected. As studies and experiments by the CIA or KGB in the past showed that a significant amount of people who were told something false enough times would believe it to be true. And when someone told them it was false they would continue to believe it to be true even when evidence was presented to them that what they believed was false.
 

Withnail

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I backed it up. You refusing to acknowledge any thing that goes against what you’ve been conditioned to believe is what’s, I won’t even say pathetic, but sad although not unexpected. As studies and experiments by the CIA or KGB in the past showed that a significant amount of people who were told something false enough times would believe it to be true. And when someone told them it was false they would continue to believe it to be true even when evidence was presented to them that what they believed was false.
I'm not really sure where you're going with that stream of words or what I'm refusing to acknowledge.

You said the following:

It’s ironic but not unexpected but as the WC has started, progressed and now ended. That the ones who started out pointing fingers, preaching from their high horses have not only been left with mud on their faces by the fans who actually went there. But have, in their resentment, exposed their racism.
There are plenty of reasons to point fingers at Qatar, for their human rights record etc, and the process which led to them being awarded the World Cup. Calling it racism and then doubling down with some nonsense about propaganda is laughable.
 

AlPistacho

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I'm not really sure where you're going with that stream of words or what I'm refusing to acknowledge.

You said the following:



There are plenty of reasons to point fingers at Qatar, for their human rights record etc, and the process which led to them being awarded the World Cup. Calling it racism and then doubling down with some nonsense about propaganda is laughable.
You’ve completely ignored my reply where I replied to the question that was asked. Here it is.
When the criticism is clearly exaggerated, does not match the reality and needs articles that mislead the audience by using stats that are then matched with misleading headlines and articles. Then at the very least there is an agenda to sway public opinion. When the truth is clear lies and deceit are not needed to influence your audiences thinking.
To this I will add racist news reporting by Dutch and German news channels. Plus also the bbc today making a big horaa about a Qatari sheikh putting a cloak on Messi. None of the hatred or criticism of Qatar matches the reality of the country or what it does.

it’s almost like that user you’ll find on every news forum Crime A ) “What an animal, dirty scum, bring back the death penalty, should burn him at the stake the filthy dog”
For crime b, which is exactly the same as crime a. “Silence” or “ if proven guilty hopefully the judge will give an appropriate sentence”
 

Foxbatt

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Well done, Qatar and the organisers.

No country is perfect. We can carry on pointing fingers and finding faults in each other for eternity.

This was a celebration of football and the games were played in peace without trouble. The game of football will be the headline unlike the last couple of footballing showpiece events (Euros Final and Champions League Final).
Hey Sultan. Spot on. How have you been doing? Great WC. The most exciting final, the most safest games. If only FIFA had not messed up with the tickets it would have been great. The empty seats is what I mean.
 

Foxbatt

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One thing we have learnt for sure is that the English media are full of shit.
That is a true statement as ever we get here.
The empty seats because the associations or corporate tickets have been fecked up. If they even made it available online after the games started it would get full. The demand was there.
Manchester United vs Liverpool tickets good tickets went for around 500 USD during the pre season tour. Half a Mall in Asia would full up the balance empty seats in Qatar . The biggest reason there was any empty seats is not because of a boycott. It simply that no tickets were available to purchase.
The way some are going here one would think that it's fans boycott that had empty seats. I bet most of them saying that have never been to Qatar at all. Or can't afford to?
 

MDFC Manager

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That is a true statement as ever we get here.
The empty seats because the associations or corporate tickets have been fecked up. If they even made it available online after the games started it would get full. The demand was there.
Manchester United vs Liverpool tickets good tickets went for around 500 USD during the pre season tour. Half a Mall in Asia would full up the balance empty seats in Qatar . The biggest reason there was any empty seats is not because of a boycott. It simply that no tickets were available to purchase.
The way some are going here one would think that it's fans boycott that had empty seats. I bet most of them saying that have never been to Qatar at all. Or can't afford to?
I'd guess there were no more than 50 empty seats last night.
 

Redfrog

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There were only a few tickets available on the resell websites and were being snapped up selling for up to 2k with the game having already started.

Half empty indeed.
Some people here. Try to argue when I saw so many empty seats. But alright.
 

Foxbatt

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Some people here. Try to argue when I saw so many empty seats. But alright.
No one is arguing about the empty seats. The reason there were so empty seats is because they were not available. Some people here are trying to make it out because there is a boycott of Qatar hosting the WC.
 

MDFC Manager

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Some people here. Try to argue when I saw so many empty seats. But alright.
Perhaps you were watching a different match. There were no more than 50-100 empty seats, not even close to being half empty as you called it.
 

Pickle85

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When the criticism is clearly exaggerated, does not match the reality and needs articles that mislead the audience by using stats that are then matched with misleading headlines and articles. Then at the very least there is an agenda to sway public opinion. When the truth is clear lies and deceit are not needed to influence your audiences thinking.
This is not an answer to the question, it's pure obfuscation. One more time: do you think that anyone that expressed reservations about the world cup is racist?
 

Sultan

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This is not an answer to the question, it's pure obfuscation. One more time: do you think that anyone that expressed reservations about the world cup is racist?
Without a doubt, many genuine posters had reservations about Qatar hosting the WC for reasons and principles they believe. There will also be some posters who because of their "dislike of the other" used any stick to beat Qatar.
 

Chesterlestreet

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It was reported quite early on that a fair amount of tickets was sold (or given, in some cases) to locals who then failed to show up for the match.

A problem particular to Qatar is that most of those locals are very well off, so they have little interest in re-selling tickets they don't use themselves, which means that said tickets end up being completely wasted.

There was a piece on this in The Athletic, including comments from a Somali journo (but then again Somali journos are, of course, notoriously racist/anti-Muslim, so).
 

Sultan

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Hey Sultan. Spot on. How have you been doing? Great WC. The most exciting final, the most safest games. If only FIFA had not messed up with the tickets it would have been great. The empty seats is what I mean.
All good, thanks, brother.

The federations and sponsors, locals not willing to use the tickets due to their countries not being in the final should have returned the tickets. On the TV screens, the white seats seem like they are empty seats. However, these are generally sat on by locals with white robes.
 

Pickle85

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Without a doubt, many genuine posters had reservations about Qatar hosting the WC for reasons and principles they believe. There will also be some posters who because of their "dislike of the other" used any stick to beat Qatar.
Yup, this is fair. It just didn't sit right with me that that poster seemed to brush off valid concerns about this particular world cup by implying that anyone that had them was racist. I'm sure that there is an element of Islamophobia to some of the criticism from certain elements in society but to chalk it all up to racism risks burying the serious and legitimate concerns that many have.
 

Glorio

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How and why did Argentina fans greatly outnumber anyone else?
For opponents it was like playing in an away game - where the allocation for away fans had been slashed
 

Sultan

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Yup, this is fair. It just didn't sit right with me that that poster seemed to brush off valid concerns about this particular world cup by implying that anyone that had them was racist. I'm sure that there is an element of Islamophobia to some of the criticism from certain elements in society but to chalk it all up to racism risks burying the serious and legitimate concerns that many have.
Objectiveness, wisdom and impartiality come with age and experience in life. I was once young and would have been straight in there and accusing all and sundry. Civil debate and education is the way forward.

I usually tend to find the middle way of two extremes is generally the right answer.
 

Sultan

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How and why did Argentina fans greatly outnumber anyone else?
For opponents it was like playing in an away game - where the allocation for away fans had been slashed
I tend to find South Americans are the most passionate about football. They live for these very special occasions. They make a special contribution to enhancing these occasions. WCs would be quite dull without these passionate fans.
 

Roane

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Objectiveness, wisdom and impartiality come with age and experience in life. I was once young and would have been straight in there and accusing all and sundry. Civil debate and education is the way forward.

I usually tend to find the middle way of two extremes is generally the right answer.
Hope you are well.

I agree with you in principle.

However I think there is often a situation where something is just "unsavoury".

I've seen it with many issues. From Jeremy Corbyn to Brexit to Palestine and Ukraine and even Shamima begum. Usually whipped up by the media. Felt that in this WC.

It's not about taking sides or not allowing people a view, it's the mannerism of how something is written or said.

I saw comments like "F Qatar they can solve their haram up their a". This to me says less about Qatar and the person's views on Islam. Might just be ignorance but somehow don't think so with some things ive read.
 

Rood

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How and why did Argentina fans greatly outnumber anyone else?
For opponents it was like playing in an away game - where the allocation for away fans had been slashed
I understand that Morocco had the most fans out there by the semis, this party due to many already living in the Gulf region plus the Moroccan FA giving out free tickets and subsidising flights

But the vast numbers of Argentinian fans is incredible as they have to travel much further, I don't think there was as much controversy in South America as in Europe about this WC. They always travel in great numbers anyway but more and more seem to arrive as the tournament went on because they felt it was going to be a historic moment for Messi, and they were rewarded
 

The Corinthian

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It was a great world cup - the fan's testimony speaks to that. I'm sad I couldn't go, but so many of my friends went. All talked about the safety, the ease of getting from the metro to a stadium, cleanliness, festival/carnival atmosphere, the cultural shows etc. Qatar has some way to go in some of their domestic policies and labour laws, but they held a great global sporting event. Probably the best one since I've alive.