[Albion] Rows of empty seats in Doha

[Greg Bobkin]

"Lord" Coe has had a pop at the BBC coverage and the criticisms directed at the empty stadium:

"“It’s very easy to sit there and make all sorts of Gabby Logan-type judgments over three or four days and clear off back to Match of the Day,” said Coe, seemingly ignoring the fact that Logan also presents the BBC’s coverage of Diamond League athletics, Six Nations rugby, and other sports. "But it’s really important that we see the long-term development of our sport,” added Coe. “That’s not going to be done because we have challenges over ticketing in a stadium for three days. The problem I’ve got with that is it’s the way our sport is being portrayed by some of the people in that studio.”

“I’ve got people, whose judgment I do trust, who are saying it would be great if a 1min 42.4sec run and some great performances were being dissected,” he said. “The crowd is an easier subject to talk about rather than some of the more insightful stuff around the events. I accept that, that’s the world we live in.

“There are places which are going to take longer for us to go to, but people have to believe this sport is theirs, it’s not just rooted in a handful of European capitals.”

“I was on the indoor, the outdoor track, they are not talking about the crowds. Can I just be a bit blunt about this, the athletes talking about externalities are probably not the ones who are going to be walking home with medals from here. Go figure.”

I figure that you're a self-serving, slippery, smarmy corrupt prick, Seb. And you talk utter shit.

Coe post-London 2012 where, I seem to recall, the crowds packed pretty much every venue in which the games were held:

"It has always been my intention that these would be an athletes-led Olympics and the athletes have responded to the crowds not only in the stadium but at every venue. And those crowds have been fantastic in their support both for British athletes, and to those from overseas."

As [MENTION=3566]hans kraay fan club[/MENTION] pointed out in another thread, what's the point of bringing an event such as the World Championships and then NOT bothering to try and get people to go and watch?

Also didn't Dina Asher Smith – winner of TWO medals – mention the lack of spectators?

'Challenges over ticketing' my arse!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Properly hilarious last night, when in an almost deserted stadium, one single block was suddenly packed, immediately next to the BBC commentators. Packed full of migrant workers, all enthusiastically making as much noise as possible (whilst nothing was even happening on the track!). Brilliant.

 

[blue-shifted]

Properly hilarious last night, when in an almost deserted stadium, one single block was suddenly packed, immediately next to the BBC commentators. Packed full of migrant workers, all enthusiastically making as much noise as possible (whilst nothing was even happening on the track!). Brilliant.

Hmm, yes there did seem to be a bit of “if you want to see your family again you’d better whack that biscuit tin every time Gabby is speaking to Michael” about it

 

[The Fifth Column]

Let not forget that the WC2020 that was so obviously corruptly purchased by Qatar could have gone to Australia..a country with a great sporting heritage, thriving football scene and excellent travel links to diverse cities and who would have put on a spectacular tournament to packed out stadia. But no the dollar won instead and it ends up in some shitpit desert state that everyone will instantly forget after it finishes. I couldn’t wish more ill or misfortune on the Qatar WC if I tried, I hope sincerely it is a f uckup of epic proportions but alas they will throw so much unlimited money at it that it will probably pass by without so much as a protest or hiccup.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

All very well giving the World Athletics Championships to 'new markets', but clearly the locals either don't want to go or can't afford the tickets, and it doesn't seem to be overrun with visiting fans either.


I was thinking of taking Harty Jnr and I to the Ruiz/Joshua rematch in Saudi, but again serious hoop jumping just to get a visa, you currently have to have proof of a hotel booking, flight reservation and a fight ticket when applying, bearing in mind that with just over two months to go and still no tickets on sale, a fall back to Cardiff with the roof closed on 7th Dec will actually become reality.


Will that kind of visa stipulation still be in place for the Qatar World Cup in 2022?

To be fair, the visa rules do not seem overly extreme. There’s plenty of countries which stipulate the basic requirements you state when third countries are involved..like the UK.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I figure that you're a self-serving, slippery, smarmy corrupt prick, Seb. And you talk utter shit.

The only surprise is that FIFA haven't hired him. Yet.

 

[SeagullDubai]

Good post, JG. It's easy for outsiders to lump all the ME countries together, but they're quite different, especially when it comes to sport.

I was there for the UAE v Brazil game too! Watched Real Madrid a few times over here during the European winter break. Rugby 7s is always amazing - no problem getting 40,000 people in a stadium over 2 days for that. 50th anniversary of the 7s - Kylie's performing this year on the Friday. The racing World Cup at Meydan is certainly an experience too, as much for the entertainment on offer as anything. Even if Lewis has it sewn up by then, it's the F1 in December. Tickets for the Dubai Dubai Free tennis used to be AED 100 for the Men's Final - around 23 quid to see Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray et al. Golf's a great watch here too - some of the events are free to watch.

There's certainly appetite for sport in the region, but certainly not athletics in Doha which is an unmitigated, but entirely predictable and preventable farce.

I attended the world club cup championship in Abu Dhabi two years running. Barca Vs Estuduantes year 1 a sell out. 2nd year inter Vs a team from the Congo, about 25k. Both superbly run events.

Sent from my MI 6 using Tapatalk

 

[rippleman]

I work with a wonderful Nepalese lady (father retired Gurkha Regiment) who told me that many Nepalese workers in Qatar have their passports confiscated by the gangmasters. So if, in short order, they decide they want out because of their shocking living conditions and dangerous working practices...they can't. They have no choice but to stay and keep working.

It's even worse than I thought. Clearly Lord Seb doesn't give a shit so long as he has pocketed his wedge

 

[Saladpack Seagull]

Did I read somewhere that the entire stadium is air-conditioned? Hopefully being in the desert that is 100% solar power, otherwise its carbon footprint must be horrendous. Probably a good job nobody flew there as that would have made the environmental damage worse.

My neighbour works as a video/sound engineer and has just got back from there. He reckons the air-con in an open-air stadium costs about 50 grand A DAY! He gets well-paid for what he does and is now off to Abu Dhabi, but he hates working in places like that due to the environment and social systems. Sounds more exotic than working in dear old Worthing like me but the reality is apparently very different.

 

[hart's shirt]

At the risk of being told off for bouncing old threads, I thought this might deserve one.

3 years on from the last time Qatar hosted a major worldwide sporting event, let's see how much has changed.

I appreciate that it's not exactly comparing like with like, but even so...

 

[Guinness Boy]

Well, for Senegal v The Netherlands they’ve just announced an attendance that is more than the ground actually holds, while everyone on tv can see it’s half empty

 

[timbha]

Well, for Senegal v The Netherlands they’ve just announced an attendance that is more than the ground actually holds, while everyone on tv can see it’s half empty

Back to the tickets sold vs bums on seats argument. Let’s face it, the average Qatari can afford to buy tickets… but doesn’t like football

 

[dazzer6666]

Back to the tickets sold vs bums on seats argument. Let’s face it, the average Qatari can afford to buy tickets… but doesn’t like football

There aren’t enough Qataris to realistically buy all the tickets……..population is only about 330k, doubt there’s enough football-followers to sell out a single game !

 

[Official Old Man]

Well, for Senegal v The Netherlands they’ve just announced an attendance that is more than the ground actually holds, while everyone on tv can see it’s half empty

Yes, heard that. 1700 more in the stadium than the stadium holds whilst the place looks half empty.

 

[jcdenton08]

What you can’t see either - is that the fixed hard camera side is even worse. Upper levels completely empty - the camera doesn’t show it naturally. But the pictures on Twitter and the like are damning.

They were moving peoples seats to be in front of the fixed camera to make it look fuller. Estimates of around 20,000 actually in the stadium.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Well, for Senegal v The Netherlands they’ve just announced an attendance that is more than the ground actually holds, while everyone on tv can see it’s half empty

Barber would be proud of this

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

I work with a wonderful Nepalese lady (father retired Gurkha Regiment) who told me that many Nepalese workers in Qatar have their passports confiscated by the gangmasters. So if, in short order, they decide they want out because of their shocking living conditions and dangerous working practices...they can't. They have no choice but to stay and keep working.

It's even worse than I thought. Clearly Lord Seb doesn't give a shit so long as he has pocketed his wedge

I ran a contract (remotely) in Qatar, but when I was in country I had a Nepalese driver and his conditions weren’t great. I offered to up his daily rate but he preferred that I cover the cost of his meals, monetarily it was peanuts.
Read into that what you will.

I also had a Filipino team working for me for whom I paid health insurance. I was Informed by the local fixer that as they weren’t westerners they would only get the basic package, the fact that I was happy to pay for the western package didn’t come into it. After a very intense conversation they got the Western package. The fixer was not happy. I got the impression that it wasn’t about the cost, more that they weren’t deserving of it.
The accomodation provided was also of a better standard than their contemporaries. The upside for me was that they were a happy team who exceeded my expectations …… and I didn’t feel so much of a prick.

 

[timbha]

There aren’t enough Qataris to realistically buy all the tickets……..population is only about 330k, doubt there’s enough football-followers to sell out a single game !

Yet another reason why the WC shouldn’t be held there. Pop of USA, Canada and Mexico (for 2026) is a bit higher!!

 

[dazzer6666]

I ran a contract (remotely) in Qatar, but when I was in country I had a Nepalese driver and his conditions weren’t great. I offered to up his daily rate but he preferred that I cover the cost of his meals, monetarily it was peanuts.
Read into that what you will.

I also had a Filipino team working for me for whom I paid health insurance. I was Informed by the local fixer that as they weren’t westerners they would only get the basic package, the fact that I was happy to pay for the western package didn’t come into it. After a very intense conversation they got the Western package. The fixer was not happy. I got the impression that it wasn’t about the cost, more that they weren’t deserving of it.
The accomodation provided was also of a better standard than their contemporaries. The upside for me was that they were a happy team who exceeded my expectations …… and I didn’t feel so much of a prick.

I saw some awful treatment of migrant workers in Saudi when I was briefly working there……the overall attitude to them was terrible.

 

[Swansman]

Don't know who would go to the games really...

The Qatari natives don't care about football. They like camel racing, falconry and those traditional desert sports.
Most of the non-Western immigrants in Qatar might want to go but most of them are pretty much slaves and couldn't afford to go.
Lots of Westerners either can't afford to go or don't want to.

Likely to be a lot of empty spaces in the stands in every game aside from maybe semis onwards.