Doha: A Brazilian band playing samba music, an indoor beach football pitch and a snazzy video transporting viewers from West Bay in Doha to the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro – this was the scene at the Brazil 2014 fan zone set up by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC).
SC, which is the body responsible for making Qatar 2022 happen, pulled all the strings it could to turn this arena into a World Cup village at a time when football fans in Doha were struggling to find venues offering free viewing of the matches and avoid spending a fortune at most of the screenings arranged by five-star hotels.
A week into the tournament, it was announced that a state-of-the-art fan zone was being put together that would allow families to enjoy the matches and participate in several other activities — all in an open-air but centrally cooled arena.
Eyebrows were quickly raised as the Middle Eastern heat, apart from allegations of corruption, has been used as one of the major arguments by critics of Qatar 2022 to slam the country’s right to host the tournament and demand rebidding. Would this be the SC’s first step towards implementing the cooling technology it has promised for all 12 stadiums in 2022? It turns out that the answer is yes. Stepping into the impressively built arena, it was easy to tell that the cooling systems were doing a decent job of bringing 40-plus-degree temperatures down to a comfortable level.
Tamim Al Abed, the Technical Project Manager for 2022, explained that the system made use of fresh air surrounding the venue and threw it back in after bringing its temperatures down through chilled water pipes. While it was clear that the technology was working smoothly here, taking it from a cosy fan zone and implementing it in a dozen massive stadiums would definitely not be a smooth ride. Abed, however, was quick to point out that the system would evolve over the course of the building period and his team would continue to “future-proof” the technology with time.
The success of the fan zone was evident from the size of the attendees, as it grew from a few hundred in the first few days to well over a thousand for matches involving the most popular teams. While the large, comfortable sofas laid out in the first few rows filled out fairly quickly on most days, some of the more sturdy stadium-like chairs remained empty. However, things quickly changed even before the tournament reached the semi-final and final stage.
The Germany-Algeria match in particular saw crowds cramped on the floor, steps or any vantage point that provided a glimpse of the giant panoramic LED screen (claimed to be Qatar’s largest). The screen wasn’t the only giant structure though. An 11-a-side foosball table, also said to be one of its kind in the world, was set up for enthusiasts. Activities such as face-painting, football-related games and a number of competitions were arranged to keep children busy while the adults focused on the football. The usually dull period of half-time was filled with on-stage performances from bands to martial art experts, folk performers (among whom the Egyptian tanoura dancers were a big hit) and even stand-up comedians.
The two-week gala seemed to have been a hit with the attendees as the organisers boasted a total attendance of approximately 10,000. A large team of staff and volunteers was seen at the premises as the SC splashed out 27 million riyals (Dh27.24 million). The numbers - financial and otherwise — will grow exponentially come 2022 but the organisers say they are prepared for it, as was summed up by the technology chief Abed when he told Gulf News how his team will cope with the challenges that lie ahead.
“The equipment you build may become outdated over the course of time but if you stick to the principles of efficiency and sustainability, it will continue to do the job.”
Hafsa Adil is a freelance journalist based in Doha
