DOHA, Qatar — Officials here are working overtime to prevent a bitter feud with Qatar’s Persian Gulf neighbors from spilling over into a critical arena: the soccer pitch.
Organizers insist in interviews that the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states since June has had no negative impact on preparations for a centerpiece of their nation’s rise on the global stage: playing host to the World Cup, the sport’s quadrennial showcase, in 2022.
“The blockade has not changed any of our plans or timelines,” said Fatma Al-nuaimi, head spokeswoman for the Qatari outfit managing preparations for the global extravaganza that brings with it dozens of national teams and as many as a half-million fans from around the globe for a month of competition.
But while construction is ahead of schedule on a slate of stadiums in Doha, some here say they are worried about an entirely different kind of crisis when Qatar becomes the first Arab nation ever to host the event.
“I’ve got to be honest,” said one British resident in the Qatari capital, who asked not to be named. “How the heck is this conservative Islamic country, where booze is only allowed at high-end hotels, going to manage all the drunken Brits who come for the World Cup?”
