Qatar World Cup Reflections: Day 3

Day three proved to be a very busy Sunday. An early wake-up for day planning and some work catch up gifted me yet another orange fireball sunrise. The day action started with yet another typical Lebanese breakfast Man'oushe (flat bread) topped with cheese and thyme. Pretty blessed to have all this food from my homeland just downstairs from our hotel in West Bay. I figure the reason for this is probably two folds. Lebanese expats in the Gulf are numerous, and the local Bedouin cuisine doesn't offer as much a variety. Lebanese cuisine has therefore become a regional favorite.

This morning, I had a scheduled business meeting (while here why not?!) where I was fortunate to learn more about recant Qatari economic development. At one point, my host looked at me and said, "I know that I may be a Bedouin, but I also have hopes and dreams like Steve Jobs once did. Besides, isn't he one of us?" referring to Steve Job's Syrian biological father. I guess everyone has the right to be ambitious as long as they're willing to work hard for it and create the proper ecosystems that are conducive to attract talented entrepreneurs ... Would this possible in a place as naturally endowed and perhaps not as hungry? Judging by the comprehensive software that the gentlemen had developed, I would say sure ...

The Uber driver we had ordered earlier had shown up in less than 2 minutes and taken us around multiple wide Boulevards on route to our meeting place, all of them lined with green lawns and trees. Greenery is of course unnatural in the Arabian Peninsula, but plants can be watered, and everywhere one looks there are water feeders to keep such plants alive. Otherwise, it would be all white sand ... Water and cooling are key ingredients for survival on these parts. Massive cooling blocks in the middle of the city serve as central air conditioning. The same to smaller scale applies to stadiums, with one feeling the cool air under one's feet, so much so that for night games we quickly learned to wear light sweaters.

Doha is a well-organized city that goes about its business quietly. Come to think of it, I have yet to hear the first car horn, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of old Arab cities like Cairo, Damascus, and Beirut. Interestingly, when it comes economic development, what are typically thought of as laggards sometime jump over centuries of organic (chaotic?) growth and attempt to become state of the art advanced societies in one go. This has already happened in cities like Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, and Dubai. Why not Doha? This process is often conducted top down with leadership, which while at times more autocratic, also shows a strong sense of devotion for their nation state. Bedouins may indeed have a Bedouin background, but it doesn't mean they cannot have ambitious aspirations to do what they think is best for their lands and people in their own way. The rest of the world can either offer encouragement and guidance when needed or not, but shouldn't try to stand in the way. They are figuring things out, and judging by what we saw today in places like Doha Marina, the buildings and architecture, promenades, care for local heritage, and overall cleanliness (there is no garbage strewn around anywhere) one has to say Qatar can't be on a wrong track ...

The afternoon dawned on us quicker than expected and we needed to head to two games, the one between France and Poland at Al Thumama stadium, starting at 6 pm local time and the other at 10 pm in the now famous Al Bayt stadium to watch England Senegal. While to an avid football fan, this must surely be jotted down as a football heaven, the concern was how to travel the miles between both stadia in time to watch the later game. We decided it would be best to leave the France game 10 minutes before it ended to make sure we avoid the crowds. Unfortunately, after a great French performance and two goals by Giroud and Mbappe (what a beast of a player), we had to leave and missed the final two goals by Mbappe and Poland's Lewandowsky whose World Cup journey came to an end.

The inter stadia busses were conveniently located a twenty minute- walk from the stadium! But we made it in board one full of Argentinian fans still high from their victory the day before. The bus trip was so long that Karim and I got into the practical pros and cons of having an event such as the World Cup all hosted in one single city as opposed to a whole country. Of course the variables there have to do with size of investment, number of stadia, and existing infrastructure. From a fan's perspective, it is too convenient to deny. Unfortunately, not every city can afford to do what Qatar has and then there's the issue of excess stadium capacity once tournament is over ...

Arriving to Al Bayt is a somewhat grandiose experience as the stadium, which looks like a tent, is perched on top of a hill and can be seen from a distance. English fans seemed to outnumber the Senegalese, but once inside goodness gracious the sounds and dances were ALL Senegalese with the English chants muffled by all the beating drums and African rhythms. The discipline their team lacked on the field was more than compensated by the incessant partying if the Senegalese fans in the stands.

The English fans would have the last word as their team celebrated victory chanting in the bus all the route back, "West Bay this Way, England All the Way! West Bay this Way, England All the Way!"