With the clock ticking down to the weekend, Doha, Qatar was the center of global attention on Sunday night (20) as the World Cup extravaganza officially kicked off. The first match was a quick one, with hosts Qatar going head-to-head with South American rivals Ecuador. However, before the match kicked off, the fan zone at Ebida Park turned into a chaotic farce.
The 40,000 seats originally designed for the event were faced with an influx of at least 80,000 fervent fans, and the waiting line for admission snaked out of control at one point. It took 45 minutes for the police, armed with batons and shields, to maintain order at the scene and finally complete the evacuation. A fan who came to the game with his 4-year-old child lamented that the scene was too dangerous and the crowd was so heavy that he feared he would not even be able to get close to the main stadium area, so he was glad he got out in time.
Despite the chaos, things are relatively organized in the fan zone. One veteran fan said he was there for the third time to witness the event and that everything had been well organized so far. He believes that Qatar promises to be an excellent host and that the atmosphere of the tournament is heating up. He likened the World Cup to a carnival party shared by all nations, with the power of sport bringing people together, something the world desperately needs at a time when the world is plagued by problems.
