“Allaying all fears of chaotic functioning and negative media reports before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar has managed to organise one of the best conducted tournaments in recent times. For this I would give full credit to FIFA and the host body,” said Victor Amalraj, former captain of the Indian football team, after returning to Hyderabad from a trip to Doha. He told siasat.com that he had gone there not just as a spectator of the football matches but also to do radio commentary for the FM 107 radio station.
“The people of Qatar are excellent hosts. The hospitality I received in Doha left me speechless. I was also pleasantly surprised to see the fine coordination between all the agencies concerned, namely the transport department, the police and the volunteers who managed the crowds. They went to great lengths to make visitors feel at home,” said Amalraj.
“Most people used public transport. This was by means of the Metrorail system and on buses. All public transport was free and covered the important areas of the city. Therefore, it enabled spectators to move from venue to venue quickly while at the same time there were no traffic snarls. One must remember that thousands of football fans from all over the world have descended on Doha. There was a festive and friendly atmosphere. As for the food, there was Hyderabadi biryani, Irani chai and Osmania biscuits easily available at most eateries. Sometimes I felt that I was in my own home town of Hyderabad,” said Amalraj.
“My good friend Mohammed Amin who works permanently in Doha as a media person, arranged for me to do the radio commentary. This work was new and exciting experience for me. I worked alongside Dipendu Biswas, former footballer and now football secretary of Mohammedan Sporting club. The standard of football that I witnessed live was outstanding. Countries from Asia and Africa are no longer easy to defeat. Many players from Japan are playing in the Bundesliga tournament in Germany and that is why their standard has gone up.”
“Moreover I was also fortunate to be there on a historic occasion. In the match between Germany and Costa Rica, for the first time in World Cup history, three women officiated as referees in a men’s world cup match. It is a good sign for the future. If women referees do a good job, then they will get more assignments in future and their abilities will be recognised and rewarded. FIFA has made this move with an eye on the future, to ensure more participation by women. I feel that they are on the right track,” said Amalraj.
“I met a lot of people from India who were working there. Many of them were from Kerala and were avid football fans so I made new friends. To my surprise I also met Imran who is the son of my old teammate Lateefuddin Najam. The latter was one of the most talented footballers from Hyderabad and became famous in the Kolkata league. It was my good fortune that I knew Najam when I was a player myself. It was a great experience to meet Najam’s son who is now settled in Doha.”
“Perhaps the most memorable and welcome sight I saw was that the fans respected all participating teams. Every time a national anthem was played, all the spectators stood up and showed their respect regardless of which country’s national anthem was being played. Not a single person remained seated. There was no prejudice and no animosity between fans from different nations. That is how sports should be played – rivals on the field but friends off the field. All the fans I saw in Qatar deserve praise for the way they conducted themselves,” concluded Amalraj.
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