A month before the Asian championships was Xavi, the former barcelona star, who a few years ago, playing for a qatari club, in the tv and tipped the entire tournament. He has been right most of the time. Japan and Qatar would meet for the title, he thought. On Friday, it will be of.

Many experts on the Middle east’s football team laughed at him. We said, ”okay, he plays for Al Sadd in Doha, he will get ten million dollars per season, of course he will say that Qatar will go all the way”, says the investigative reporter, Uri Levy on the phone from Jerusalem.

Babagol, has commented on several of the matches in Hebrew in israeli tv, and was on site during the championship. Among other things, on the first ”blockadderbyt”, between saudi Arabia and Qatar. To everyone’s surprise won the Qatar 2-0.

” the Atmosphere was quite hostile. I live in Jerusalem and follows the israeli and palestinian football near. I have never before seen people boo a national anthem before an official match, ” says Uri Levy.

Qatar’s success linking the complex relationships between law with the rest of the world, because the country will organize the world CUP 2022. The success of the team is a result of a long and conscious effort, to prove to the world that Qatar is a legitimate fotbollsnation.

the VM host is highly controversial in Europe, in the Gulf region causes the tension of other reasons. Then 18 months of a coalition led by saudi Arabia and the United arab Emirates cut by Qatar from all communication and trade.

” It is such a mess. The relationship between Saudi and the United arab Emirates, United arab Emirates and Qatar, Qatar and Saudi, the Gulf and the Middle east, the Middle east and the rest of the world, Fifa and Qatar, Fifa and the Saudi. Someone should write a book about it, ” says Uri Levy.

During the blockade has football been basically the only arena in which countries communicate. After the victory against saudi Arabia beat Qatar favourites south Korea, and then the host country the United arab Emirates in the semi-finals – a degrading win with 4-0 in front of large audience in Abu Dhabi, where tickets were given out free to emiratier while the qatari supporters be prevented from entering the country. Sandals and other objects thrown into the qatari players.

Now, the United arab Emirates submitted a protest where they believe that two players in Qatar does not meet the criteria to represent the country, Almoez Ali, born in Sudan, and Bassam al-Rawi was born in Iraq.

for Qatar, and hugely embarrassing for the United arab Emirates, ” says the journalist James Montague, who has lived in the country and written a book about football in the Middle east.

– It shows how petty the conflict is. These countries have traditionally been allies, and now they have suddenly turned against each other, ” he says.

Gulfkrisen have their background in Qatar following the Arab spring of 2011 supported the regimes that the other countries see as threats.

– the Idea was to correct in Qatar in the ranks, but they have not succeeded, because Qatar does not have been hit particularly hard economically. And I think that the world CUP 2022 has recorded, for it has made people now feel to Qatar as much as the United arab Emirates, says James Montague.

Gianni Infantino talking about to expand world CUP to 48 teams, says James Montague that there is a light in the Gulfkrisen. To implement the expansion until 2022 would mean that the neighbouring countries must be co-hosts. And that they thus steal the world CUP from Qatar.

” the world CUP has become central to the boycott now. Everything else has failed, ” he says.

Ironically, stoking the flames of the neighbouring countries, therefore, the european criticism about the lack of human rights in Qatar, while they themselves often have a worse track record, ” says James Montague. Saudi arabia is negotiating at the same time with Fifa on the huge investment in new tournaments for club and national teams, which would transform world football.

– Infantino has said that an expanded world CHAMPIONSHIPS would be able to bring peace in the region. But I don’t think that anyone really buy that he really is convinced of it. So one must ask why he does it. At the same time keeps the Qatar desperately fixed at the world CHAMPIONSHIPS, for in addition to invade the country, there is no other way left to punish Qatar now than to take from them the world CUP, says James Montague.

, which is the jew and the arab roots, think at the same time that the world CUP can open up the entire middle east Region.

– We deserve it. We live in a stress like no other in the world live under. No other living under such political tensions. No one has those feelings of guilt, hatred and love as we. The enforced nationalism which we must follow, ” he says.

To a large part, Qatar has created its team through from a young age to educate the players on his ”Aspire Academy”. Most have been in the country since they were six, seven years old, and have been trained for a long time by the Spanish national team coach Félix Sánchez.

“I love the team,” said Uri Levy.

– They have grown up with this dream of 2022, and they are reminiscent of a club. They play as a kind of military unit.

Both the Qatar and the United arab Emirates have invested huge amounts of money in football in the last 15 years, including by buying the Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. In January, it was the Swedish national team in Qatar at the camp, right now is AIK in Dubai. They are not alone.

a generation ago, it was pretty tough to live in, now have lots of money to spend. And football is a status symbol in the Middle east, ” says Uri Levy.

the Image of Qatar was that they were a third world country, with sheikhs and slaves. And they wanted to show the world that they are bigger, they are innovative, they are modern, they are civilized. To host the world CUP, the biggest human ritual in our time, is of course a way to upgrade their status, ” he says.

In principle, everything that is written in the western media about Qatar’s negative, ” says Uri Levy, and James Montague agree with. He said that both Qatar and the United arab Emirates has rightfully been criticized for the working conditions among the country’s migrant workers, and the so-called kafalasystemet.

” It is not possible to look at the shiny facades of the buildings without realizing that they have been built on slavars expense. Ten years ago, no one cared about it. It was required that Qatar won the hosting of world CUP 2022 to this problem would reach the international consciousness, ” says James Montague, who has visited migrantarbetarläger where he had seen the appalling conditions.

Kim Källström was criticized in the week when he in an interview in Qatar said it will not presented in the Swedish media that there have been improvements in the country. He has both the right and wrong, argues James Montague. There is a process towards reform, but it is slow and uneven.

” Funnily enough so is one of the side effects of the blockade, at least, the rhetoric has improved how Qatar has dealt with this issue. For the blockade is also a pr-war – how does one convince people that you are on the right page?

” Something happened there, and the same thing happens not only in the United arab Emirates, in Saudi or Bahrain. It depends a lot on the world CUP. Qatar has not been criticized enough, but I hope that the criticism which has led to some change. Whereas if you criticise the emirati regime so you end up in jail or get your computer hacked.

Sandalskandal when Qatar won the ”blockadderbyt”

Qatar is a surprise in the Asian championships – in spite of the blockade.

Kim Källström on Qatar world CUP: ”One should not believe everything you read.”

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