With World Cup draw throwing up intriguing matchups, focus inevitably shifts away from Qatar to football

Published April 3, 2022
DOHA: Coaches of national teams participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup pose with the trophy after the draw for the tournament at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.—AP
DOHA: Coaches of national teams participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup pose with the trophy after the draw for the tournament at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.—AP

DOHA: When Iran were drawn out of the pot at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, there was a collective gasp among the audience that had gathered for the glitzy FIFA World Cup draw ceremony on Friday night.

As the first side picked from Pot 3, they couldn’t go into Group ‘A’ with fellow Asian rivals and World Cup hosts Qatar already there. It meant they were heading into Group ‘B’ where England and the United States — two countries with whom they have tense political relations — had already been drawn.

And perhaps fittingly, the most contentious World Cup ever awarded will see the most politically-charged game of them all when Iran and US — two countries with no formal diplomatic relations since 1980— clash a week into the tournament on Nov 29.

After a week during which human rights issues in Qatar have been a source of hot debate, the draw has ensured the Gulf emirate and FIFA achieve what they had been longing for: shifting the attention to football.

And as the draw ceremony ended, naturally coaches of Iran and the US — Dragan Skocic and Gregg Berhalter — were the most sought after for their reaction.

“Background doesn’t matter,” Serb Skocic told Dawn when asked about the political context of the match and what it will mean for his players. “Each game in [a] World Cup is special, I swear. We want to put other things outside and we just want to concentrate on football.”

Iran and the US last met at a World Cup in 1998 with the Iranians winning 2-1 in a game where they gave their American opponents white roses before kick-off. Skokic, though, said there will be no white roses this time.

Berhalter, meanwhile, said the fixation with the Iran-US fixture, or with the rest of the draw which also threw up an exciting matchup between former champions Spain and Germany, shouldn’t shift the focus away from rights issues in Qatar, which won the right to host football’s showpiece tournament in 2010.

“I think this is an opportunity over the next 10 months to bring attention to what people want to bring attention to,” he told Dawn. “And I don’t think people are shying away from human rights issues. I think there is still going to be a spotlight on that. And I think it is going to be an opportunity for Qatar to stand up and show the progress they have made as a country and all that to me is positive.”

A day earlier at the same venue as the draw, a similar plea was made at FIFA’s annual Congress by Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness to make sure that rights of migrant workers in Qatar as well as those who have lost their lives in getting it ready for the tournament aren’t forgotten amidst the excitement of the path to the World Cup being laid. Among the audience on Thursday was former Spain and Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado, invited as part of the FIFA Legends programme.

“From yesterday, it’s over … no more human rights,” he told Dawn following the draw. “That’s something we will leave to the right people to do and I know the experts will come and check if human rights are there or not. I’m here as a guy who loves football and I love the World Cup.

“I was here 12 years ago when they started [after winning the hosting rights] and they were very thrilled about it. I think they’ve done an amazing ... a great job to make it possible in such a short time and you have to appreciate that. The rest is not my thing”

Salgado was naturally more comfortable talking about the heavyweight Group ‘E’ clash between 2010 champions Spain and four-time winners Germany, who last won in 2014, which will be played on Nov 27.

“It’s a 50-50,” he said. “It’s a really tough one. I think we have to enjoy it.”

Former Germany striker and now the national team director for the German Football Association Oliver Bierhoff too was looking forward to the duel against Spain with Hansi Flick’s side looking to bounce back from a disastrous showing at the previous World Cup in Russia where, as defending champions, they exited the tournament in the first round.

‘It’s a big game,” he told Dawn. “Spain is a very difficult opponent and they’re smart and excellent players but every game, especially during the World Cup has its own story and I think it will be a great match and everybody will be excited for it.”

Spain and Germany are two of four European teams that have won the last four editions of world football’s showpiece tournament with others being Italy, in 2006, and France, the winners four years ago in Russia.

Five-time winners Brazil, bidding to end the European dominance of the World Cup, were the last South American team to be crowned champions. Champions in South Korea and Japan in 2002, the Selecao have never won a World Cup in Europe and coach Tite was naturally happy with the tournament being held in Asia.

“We feel very comfortable here,” Tite told Dawn through an interpreter after seeing his side pitted against Switzerland and Serbia for a second consecutive World Cup alongside Cameroon in Group ‘G’. “For me, I’ve coached clubs in the United Arab Emirates [Al Ain and Al Wahda] so it feels good to be playing here in Qatar.”

The World Cup in Qatar might also be the last chance for superstars Lionel Messi of Argentina and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo to get their hands on world football’s biggest prize. With both Argentina and Portugal on opposite sides of the draw, a first-ever World Cup meeting between the modern day greats can only come in the semi-finals at the earliest.

Defending champions France and Argentina could meet as early as the last-16. England potentially await either in the quarter-finals.

A first World Cup in November-December will see hosts Qatar play on the opening day but not the opening match.

Instead, that honour will go to their Group ‘A’ rivals Senegal and the Netherlands. Qatar will play Ecuador later on Nov 21 with four matches being held on each day during the group stage in order to wrap up the tournament in 27 days.

Last month, Netherlands coach Louis van Goal had been critical of the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, saying it was “ridiculous” while claiming money and commercial interests were behind it. After the World Cup draw, the Dutchman was looking forward to plotting his side’s path to glory.

“I have not been to Qatar and Senegal that often,” Van Gaal told Dutch broadcaster NOS. “In Qatar, once with Bayern Munich and two years ago I was on holiday in Senegal. I have never been to Ecuador. I don’t know those countries either, so I can’t really say anything about them. Fortunately we have very good scouts who have to analyse the opponents.”

For all the issues that surround buildups to World Cups like those in South Africa, Brazil and Russia, once football begins it usually, inevitably takes over. In the end, World Cups are usually remembered for the exploits on the pitch, the stunning goals, those last-ditch tackles, the impossible saves and of course the team that wins it all.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2022

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