last Friday, the Abu Dhabi idrottsmyndighet that they bought up all the tickets to Tuesday’s semifinals in the Asian championships. According to the local site of The National curling long waiting lists when around 18.000 tickets in Sunday handed out for free to ”loyal” fans of the emirate.
Qatar, for its part, had few supporters behind him in his matches. When the team arrived to the championship flew via Kuwait, because the direct flights from Qatar to the United arab Emirates is stopped due to the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf region, which erupted in June 2017.
since the first match that was called ”blockade-derby’, when Qatar and saudi Arabia, met.
Qatar won, loudly utbuade of the audience, and has continued to surprise. In the quarter final one against south Korea, the favorites to take home the entire tournament, greeted by a group of fans from Oman.
Qatar’s success in this tournament is very uncomfortable for emiratier and the saudis, ” says Uri Levy, a journalist with the middle east’s football area of expertise, to the site of The New Arab.
the United arab Emirates struck at the same time reigning champions Australia in their quarter final, and the improbable and charged semifinalmötet became a fact.
on the sport in recent years, with the controversial football world CUP 2022 as the main project. Unlike in several other sports, dominated team of native qatari players, who are trained in an academy in Doha.
It is the Spanish national team coach Félix Sánchez, who has shaped the team.
” this political situation is something we have discussed with the players. They are very aware and I am convinced that during the tournament they will be able to maintain their concentration on the sport, and isolate us from all the others, he said before the tournament to AFP.
leading the United arab Emirates, saudi Arabia and Bahrain, another of the participating countries in the Asian championships, a diplomatic and trade embargo against Qatar.
the Countries accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism, something which the country strongly denies, and to criticise its relationship with Iran.
the Winner of the second ”blockade-the derby” will meet Japan in the final after their victory against Iran on Monday.
Kim Källström on Qatar world CUP: ”One should not believe everything you read.”
