The first teams to arrive in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup, which begins this weekend, are the United States (U.S.) and Australia, according to AFP.
More than a million spectators are expected to travel to Qatar, the smallest nation to ever host the World Cup, to attend the games. Some of the fans have already arrived in the nation for what promises to be a fantastic performance, despite some controversy.
According to the report, security barricades have been installed before the event around Doha.
According to the report, the trophy, which will be awarded to the winning team on December 18, arrived in time for the tournament’s opening match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday.
The public attention on Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, women, and the LGBTQ community has made FIFA’s appeals to “concentrate on the football” difficult to implement. Most of the attacks have been vehemently rejected by Qatar, and yesterday, local media decried the “arrogance” of some Western nations.
Numerous hopeful fans waited outside the FIFA ticketing center in the hopes that a few of the highly sought-after tickets might become available for important games. According to the organizers, 2.9 million of the 3.1 million tickets have been sold.
Due to the lack of ‘interesting’ matches, an Australian resident of Doha Matthew Coleman and his Dutch buddy Gijs Beenker went empty-handed. Europeans were the biggest customers at a nearby World Cup souvenir shop, according to the staff, who purchased the official ball or the La’eeb mascot.
Thousands of replica Brazil and Argentina shirts have been purchased by migrant laborers from South Asia, who can be seen sporting them on the streets. Since Qatar was given the World Cup in 2010, the workers have been at the center of a contentious argument concerning fatalities, injuries, and poor working conditions.
Yesterday, the debate over whether the energy-rich Gulf nation of Qatar should host the event continued in the media in Europe and Qatar.
According to a British publication, many supporters thought Indians in Qatar had been “paid” to participate in protests in support of Argentina and Brazil. On Friday, thousands of migrant workers attended the march.
The anti-Qatar campaign “confirms the arrogance of some Western countries that feel that organizing the World Cup must stay monopolized by them,” the Qatari publication Al-Sharq said.
In the meantime, Qatar has collaborated with a number of nations to ensure the highest level of security during an athletic events.
To improve security at the World Cup, 13 countries—including the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, Germany, and Pakistan—are sending security officers to Qatar.
To provide the greatest level of protection before the game starts in less than a week, the forces have already begun to enter the nation across its borders.
Two British ships from the UK arrived at the Umm Al-Houl Naval Base on Friday as a result of bilateral cooperation. According to Qatar News Agency, the Amiri Naval Forces received the cruisers Bangor and Guardian (QNA).
The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force are being sent by the European nation to help protect the sea and air bases during the World Cup.
Ships from Turkey and Pakistan have also landed at the same location to help secure the major competition. Turkey is sending 3,000 riot police personnel, while Pakistan alone is estimated to be sending 4,500 armed soldiers.
In December of last year, France promised to provide personnel and supplies to the Gulf nation, including the BASALT anti-drone system, which locates and identifies approaching drones. Additionally, France announced that it will send one of its four E-3F AWACS, which can track hundreds of targets and belongs to the Air Force.
The soldiers and officers will likely be assigned security responsibilities both inside and outside of the venues. According to officials, some will also be tasked with guarding hotels and tourist destinations throughout the Gulf country.
U.S. forces have also arrived in Doha, where they are expected to help defend the nation during the competition. They are being deployed in compliance with the bilateral agreements for cooperation.
