Newark Town Football Club chairman Chris Wade returns for 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar
The club chairman of Newark Town Chris Wade has returned from Qatar where he watched the three group-stage games of England in the FIFA world cup.
"When the World Cup was awarded to Qatar back in 2010 I have to admit I was underwhelmed by the decision as it came at the same time as Russia was awarded the 2018 tournament," said Wade.
"It was only after the success of the England team at the Euros last year that I changed my mind and thought as we had a decent young team it could be a memorable experience.
"As soon as qualification was assured I booked a travel package with the England Supporters Club and applied for tickets through the FA.
"Fortunately, I was able to get tickets for the three group games.
"The process for obtaining the entry permit to the country is called the Hayya card and it was straightforward.
"With ten days to go the requirement for a PCR test was dropped, thankfully.
"During the last weeks before our departure, the media focussed on human rights issues and whether attending condoned the way the authorities run the country.
"For me, that argument was addressed when FIFA awarded Qatar the tournament and I simply wanted to support my team.
"I was reminded that the only time England won the World Cup homosexuality was also illegal in the host country at the time.
"We flew out on the day the tournament started.
"The accommodation where we stayed comprised of a self-catering apartment in a 40-storey building known as England House in West Bay, Doha.
"It was solely occupied by England fans.
"On day one England played Iran.
"The temperature was 28 degrees celsius and there was not a cloud in the sky.
"The journey to the Khalifa Stadium on the new metro system was free and well organised by scores of helpers advising “Metro – this way” which became a common theme.
"We arrived early and there was a carnival atmosphere.
"We seemed outnumbered by several thousand Iran fans.
"It was no secret that beer at the stadiums had been banned but the rest of the catering was pretty poor.
"Fortunately, we managed to get to our seats before the FIFA ticketing app failed and we heard reports of several fans stuck outside.
"The build-up to the kick-off was good and then finally it started.
"Early on there was a nasty head injury to the Iran keeper.
"After a period of good possession Bellingham scored and then by half-time it was 3-0.
"It was a fantastic start.
"The second half saw three more England goals with an Iranian thunderbolt and a strange penalty at the end to make the final score 6-2."
After the match, the England fans had time to explore Doha as the match with the USA wasn't for another four days.
"Everywhere we went there was a great atmosphere with many supporters from different countries happily mixing together," said Wade.
"There was not a hint of trouble — all the transport and crowd control was well managed.
"The Souq Waqif is in the oldest part of the area and was very popular with fans.
"The tour organisers put on a boat trip round the harbour for us and the main topic of conversation seemed to be which hotel had the best bar and tv screens.
"We did find the sports bar in a hotel near our apartments — despite a queue and paying £15 per pint it was a great place to watch some of the other games as we again sat with people from all over the world simply enjoying the football.
"We chatted with supporters from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ghana, and Mexico and they all had interesting stories to tell.
"The USA game was a non-event.
"The transport to the stadium was amazing.
"The end of the metro is near the Lusail stadium which is the venue for the final.
"However, the Al Bayt stadium is another 30 minutes north but it was no problem as a fleet of buses took the fans there and brought us back without a hitch."
There was plenty to do in Doha outside of football and the world cup.
"Over the weekend we spent a bit of the time at the beach," said Wade.
"We seemed to be surrounded by hundreds of Argentinian fans but I did bump into a fellow Forest fan which was comforting.
"The final game against Wales still had to be won.
"Thankfully England took control of the game in the second half and we won comfortably 3-0.
"On the walk back to the Metro it looked like the England and Wales fans simply ignored each other.
"Sadly the next day we had to fly home.
"The trip had been a fantastic ten-day experience.
"On reflection, playing in effectively a neutral country means it will be a unique World Cup for the supporters.
"The temperature was not an issue with most games played late in the evening, maybe no beer in the stadiums helped avoid flashpoints.
"A Dutch pilot we met explained that he thought the alcohol ban was more to do with concerns over not being able to control a crowd rather any religious reasons.
Despite his home side now being out of the world cup, Wade is still keen to follow it.
"Now England are out I would like to see Messi lift the trophy," he said
"He will then be crowned the greatest of all time.
"The Cristiano Ronaldo fans and the other Argentine number ten, Diego Maradona supporters will have to concede at that point, in my humble opinion."
