Al Wakrah’s return to Asian football after 22 years was marred by a 3-0 loss against Iran’s Tractor but a couple hundred loyal supporters kept the cheers going.
As the final whistle blew at the Al Janoub Stadium, the defeated Al Wakrah players made a conscious effort to acknowledge a section of their fans, even as some supporters looked deflated following the loss.
After all, these fans had turned up on Thursday night to watch their side compete in the AFC Champions League Two against Iran’s Tractor. For many, it was their first time watching their side compete in Asia at home.
Then a chant erupted after the applause, and the crowd – now just about a hundred strong- came to life once more, waving their scarves in the air with renewed enthusiasm.
“Lai, lai, lai, lai, Oh Wakrahwi!” they chanted over and over for the men in blue and white, their voices rising in unison as the players made their way into the tunnel.
The majority of the few thousand spectators present on the night had already left. A large chunk of them had made their way towards the exits before the first 45 minutes were over, as the home team found themselves trailing 3-0 down within the first 38 minutes.
Yet among those who stayed were Al Wakrah’s loyal group of supporters, known as the Blue Waves, who brought a megaphone and a couple of drums to keep the energy alive.
While they numbered in the hundreds rather than thousands, and lacked the fervour of fan groups from Europe or Latin America, their passion was palpable. Men of various ages gathered together, united by a shared love for their team.
“It is more about supporting the crest than the results,” Abdulrahman, a member of the group, told Doha News. “Even the prime Brazilian side did not win every game. We’re not the most successful of sides, but [we] carry the passion.”
Al Wakrah has not always been one of the country’s top clubs, both in terms of prestige and match-day attendance. Their last major victory came in 2001, and as recently as 2019, they found themselves relegated to the second division.
That all changed with the arrival of Bartolome ‘Tintin’ Marquez Lopez, now the head coach of Qatar’s national team, who helped lift the club from its struggles. In their first season back in the top tier, they finished seventh, followed by an eighth-place finish in the COVID-affected 2020/21 season.
In the seasons that followed, Al Wakrah faced off against traditional powerhouses like Al Sadd, Al Rayyan, and Al Duhail, consistently finishing in the top four. Although Marquez Lopez departed last December to take the reins of the national team just before the Asian Cup, the club still managed to secure a fourth-place finish that season.
“Fans’ support was vital in getting the team to where it is today from the second division,” said Mubarak, a fan leader as he collected some flags in the stand.
The group of passionate supporters united around the same time the club was in the second division, he said, and now attends almost all matches that the side plays.
“Almost all of us were born in Al Wakrah as Al Wakrah fans and share the same feeling towards our city,” he said.
The city in the south of Qatar has now grown to become one of the country’s most populous ones but started off as a sleepy town and was a hub for pearl diving and fishing. The club’s present colour combination – light blue and white – is an ode to waves and the rich pearling heritage that once defined the area.
Now a centre for expatriates that work further down south in the industrial city of Mesaieed, Al Wakrah’s original Qatari population consists of families that have been in the coastal town for a long time. According to Mubarak, the unity and passion of the community are reflected in the enthusiasm of the Blue Waves supporters.
That passion was on full display when Al Wakrah managed to win the Qatar Cup – a knockout tournament played between the league’s top four teams – in May this year. A clip of fans crying in joy as the Blue and White defeated Al Sadd in the semi-finals went viral.
Al Wakrah then triumphed 1-0 over Al Rayyan in the final, securing their first trophy since winning the second division title in the 2018/19 season.
“I was very happy, one of the happiest moments that I’ve ever lived,” Mubarak said of the winning moment.
However, repeating last season’s success might be difficult for Al Wakrah, as they currently sit seventh in the league table.
Life under new coach Miguel Angel Ramirez has been full of ups and downs, but despite the difficulties, Mubarak said the support from the Blue Waves will remain constant.
“We are still at the beginning of the season,” he said, promising a tifo display in the main stand next home game. “We still have five matches left [in AFC Champions League Two]. We’ll turn up to support [the team] regardless.”
