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First Words - January 2011
I was ‘unfortunate’ enough to get caught out by the snow just before Christmas, which left me ‘stranded’ in the Middle East until Christmas Day.
This forced me to ‘endure’ family, friends, BBQs, ice cream and swimming pool frolics late into December, but on the plus side my trip to Abu Dhabi coincided with the FIFA Club World Cup final, which gave me an opportunity to experience a truly international football event in the Middle East.
From the outset when we were handed a free programme, as opposed to the £20 you’d normally expect to pay, through to the easy and simple way we were allowed to pass in and out of the main stadium to enjoy the Fan Zone around the ground, which included vertical football, face painting, a reasonably priced merchandise stand and cheaper-than-the-supermarket food and drink, it was nothing but a pleasurable experience.
Much has been written about the fact Qatar has won the right to host the 2022 World Cup, and yes, the issue of the temperature will be a problem that needs addressing.
But the lack of alcohol was never a problem at the FIFA event I attended last month. If anything, it made the event better and made the football an experience that all could enjoy without drunken prejudice.
I might be generalising, but I’ve been to football matches at the old Wembley, new Wembley, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, Old Trafford, Villa Park and, of course, Stamford Bridge, right down to non-league football grounds such as Margate and Dartford, and I’ve experienced the affect alcohol can have on football fans and their behaviour.
I suggest a World Cup with no alcohol in 11 years won’t be such a bad thing after all, and could become an event the world looks back on proudly, such as last summer’s South African World Cup and the vuvuzela.
David Pittman, editor, SGB Sport
Email: dpittman@datateam.co.uk || Twitter: mrdavidpittman || Skype: davidpittmanreporter
