Is Qatar ready for FIFA World Cup 2022? Long queue, water shortages mar stadium trial

With just over a couple of months before the football fever grips the globe, Qatar is warming up as quickly as possible for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which gets underway on November 20. It would be the first-ever world-scale event in the Gulf. While the venues are ready and raring to go, it remains to be seen how prepared is the host nation in terms of management. Consequently, stadium trials are being conducted to analyse the smoothness of things during match days. However, the recent tests have witnessed long queues, accompanied by water shortages, plunging the Qatar 2022 management into doubt.

During the Lusail Super Cup last Friday, about 78,000 fans filled out one of the World Cup venues. However, the fans struggled and entered the stadium. Also, the venue was out of the water by half-time, as fans got desperate out of thirst. Despite the temperature being just 34 degrees, the humidity soared the level of thirst.

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The rush of the fans was so intense that they even struggled to enter the metro rails. “Stop! Can’t you see the metro station is full? Stop!” one of the supervisors was seen saying, reports Reuters. “Let us through! We have children,” said another man with a toddler. A woman at the venue asked, “We need water. Is there water?”

Being the smallest nation ever to host the tournament, struggles in management is somewhat apparent. As per the organisers, about 77,575 fans flocked into the turnstiles, the largest crowd in Qatar. A singing performance from Amr Diab also triggered the gathering. Meanwhile, an organiser spokesperson revealed that the match was organised to identify the flaws in the system.

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One of the Egyptian fans stated, “This is such a mess. I don’t want to go to the World Cup anymore. Not if it’s like this.” On the other hand, a supplier added, “Even some ambulances were driving around trying to figure out where they were supposed to be positioned. We were given the wrong directions repeatedly, and the parking passes we had were for lots that didn’t exist.”

Also, the stadium air-conditioning and cooling system did not adequately cool the venue, leading to increased humidity. However, the temperature would be much cooler when the World Cup gets underway. However, the stadium security was one of the positives, as they were well-behaved.