Five hours before the official start of the World Cup in Qatar, there are no fans. We mean the atmosphere. Wealth and luxury cannot be compared… But there probably isn’t a fan in the world who, despite all that silk and velvet, would rather be in Qatar than, for example in Brazil right now. Currently, there are no fans in the place that is supposed to be the “epicenter of the madness”. Of all the fan zones in Doha, Al Bidda is the largest and should be the center of the action. The world’s biggest stars will perform there. Depending on what you like and who you consider stars. Last night there was Nicki Minaj, Maluma and other artists performing. And Al Bidda has a huge fan zone ready to accommodate 40,000 people. Currently, just hours before the opening ceremony, there are between 40 and 140 of them. Half of them are foreign workers employed by Qatar Airways who have time off. There are a few “Argentinians” from India, a father and son from Mexico (he is a pessimist because the coach didn’t invited Chicharito and Vela), three Senegalese, a middle-aged English couple, a moody Welshman, a couple of guys from Tunisia, three Filipinas, one of whom wears a Brazil jersey but there is no idea when or against whom Brazil is playing… And that’s about all. Along with a few photojournalists who don’t know what they are doing here.By the way, this is the only place in Qatar where fans will be able to buy alcohol outdoors. Beer will be poured at a price of around five euros. Let us remind you that Qatar only made a decision two days ago to ban the serving of alcohol in the perimeter around the stadium before and after the matches. Although months ago it was promised that beer would be next to the stadium. So, Al Bidda fan zone is the only place where you can buy beer except for expensive hotels. At the moment, it seems that no one cares what’s going on here. We’ll see tonight when it starts, when the musicians go there, but it’s more of a concert crowd than a soccer crowd. Maybe the problem is time. Hardly anyone in Qatar goes out at two in the afternoon, some hot wind is blowing…
