Qatar’s handball team has defeated Germany 26-24 to advance to the semifinals of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship.
The win is a historic one for the national team, which has never advanced this far. The players were cheered on by more than 10,000 people inside a packed Lusail Multipurpose Hall tonight.
https://twitter.com/NawafAlThani/status/560485946001342465
Yeaaaah RT @Greeeker: The dream never ends. Qatar through to semifinal of @2015Handball after beating Germany 26-24.
— Khalifa Al Haroon – Mr. Q (@iloveqatar) January 28, 2015
https://twitter.com/2015Handball/status/560484774087634945/
But the mood was less celebratory outside the hall, where at least hundreds of paid ticket-holders milled about in confusion after security guards barred entry to the match.
Several people who weren’t allowed into the game told Doha News they had arrived between 5:30pm and 6:30pm, heeding the time recommended on their tickets. The Qatar/Germany match began around 7pm.
But many were told by security personnel that the hall was already full. According to one fan, the match had been opened up to the public for free during the early afternoon, and a guard told her that her seats were taken by those who had lined up around 2pm.
Ongoing problem
Over the past two weeks, those who have attended the handball games in Doha have lauded organizers for how smoothly the matches proceeded.
But it appears in this instance, the desire to ensure a full stadium during a critical match trumped the need to ensure paid ticket-holders were granted access to their seats, fans said.
This is not the first time organizers of sporting events in Qatar have come under fire for poor organization.
In 2013, ticket-holders lamented being locked out of the Emir Cup finals, more than an hour before the match started.
Also that year, fans at the Spain vs. Uruguay match complained about slow security checks impeding their ability to get into the game.
Similar complaints ensued during the 2011 Asian Football Confederation Final, and the Emir Cup last year.
“Unfortunately it’s sad – we love to attend events organized in Qatar but this is a problem they need to solve,” said Kareem Sharawi, who has attended several handball matches and only ran into trouble for the first time with his seats tonight.
As crowds dissipated after tonight’s Qatar-Germany match, some fans said they were finally able to get into the hall to watch the upcoming Denmark vs. Spain match, which starts at 9pm.
Fans are also expected to turn out in droves tonight for the Jason Derulo concert, which will take place after the final match of the evening.
Here’s a roundup of Twitter reaction from disappointed fans:
Were you at the match tonight? Thoughts?
LOL! Why am I not surprised at all? Seems like the selling tickets for seats that they will later distribute freely will be a Qatar tradition when it comes to hosting sporting events.
Strange, I got in without any trouble at around 6:30. Nice crowd, well done Qatar!
kudos to Qatar.
Hard luck to the people who were not able to attend the first match.
They can enjoy the second one
Only if they don’t pay. If they do pay they’ll be standing outside wondering what happened.
Haha..Some things will never change! I can’t wait for this World Cup to officially kickoff!
They are forcing conscription’s graduates to attend or else they will be “legally” questioned. As a Qatari, I find this to be disgusting.
are you serious??
Yes.
why?
Apparently to fill up the stadium with Qataris.
Wow….I hope this is just one of those rumors…lol.
No, and some of the big quasi-governmental agencies sent out notices ‘encouraging’ their people to attend and reminding them that all seats would be free; some even laid on buses.
I got one of these. It has been pushed for the last few days.
North Korea style? I hope this is just a rumour as Saleem said 🙂
It is not a rumor, I know people who were asked to show up.
What happens after you are “legally” questioned? Is there any type of punishment if you don’t attend?
In Britain for National Sporting Events there are free tickets given to our Armed forces and it is considered a great honour to be able to attend, to support your country and represent the forces at the same time.
They are not forced however because there is such high demand for tickets.
These guys are conscripts and are having National Pride instilled in them, i am sure a lot of them would rather be sitting in a nice comfortable stadium that running up a sand dune with a full Army pack on.
I see, although they are not serving on now (no camping is going now, it goes from September-December and March-May).
Whoever made the decision to allow ticketed seats to be given away isn’t fit to run any organised event. Just ridiculous.
They’re not “running” it. They’re just letting it happen.
They have a LONG way to go before they are fit enough to organize a football match.
In the napoli V juve some people kept coming to sit in my friends seat when he went to go get food…i think i had about 5 different people in 5 minutes..for the final guy the stewards came and apparently he was in the wrong part of the stadium for his seat. why dont people just find the seat that they bought and sit in it!
2nd game was munich game…our seat was taken and when we asked the stewards they said “its nothing to do with him, go sit down anywhere” but there were no seats apart from the front row but apparently we wernt allowed to sit there..so kept getting told off by stewards till they gave up because they couldnt show us 3 seats together (there were 3 of us)
In WC2022 resident expats will be given free entry to the matches in order to mimic a football crowd. I have spoken.
They’ll have to because only an idiot would pay to fly here with tickets that won’t get you in.
Wait so you’re saying that Qatar will make matches free and people will attend because they’re getting a good deal and that means they’re not really a football crowd, just mimicking?
I’d say it’s an issue when people are forced to go, not when people choose to go of their own free will because they got a good deal on a ticket.
I think the “issue” is that people pay for something and don’t get what they paid for.
I can’t wait for my free WC2022 tickets
My thoughts exactly.
Nothing changes….couldn’t run a lemonade stand with a six year old…cant wait for the debacle that will be the WC…
All that glistens…
Foreign-born players who now hold Qatari citizenship make up more than two thirds of the country’s 16-man squad. Qatar has won?
It was a great win by the purple “South Balkan” team to reach the semis!
What’s your definition of a Qatari?
That’s a very tough question.
1) a person born from Qatari father and Qatari mother is a Qatari
2) a person born from Qatari father and non- Qatari mother is a Qatari
3) a player or a painter or a Islamic scholar who dedicated himself for qatar is a qatari
What about the many Qataris who came from other countries 3 or 4 generations ago?
What about someone who’s mother is Qatari and father is not?
Or someone who was born and raised here, is 2nd or 3rd generation, speaks Qatari, and loves this country?
I’m just saying that at the end of the day what causes discrimination within communities is when people feel they are more entitled or “purer” than others.
the vaguely important people…
They probably didn’t run fast enough, jump high enough or any number of other athletic inclined abilities, not well enough. Although the present crop of “new” Qataris don’t either.
What about an athlete who was hired recently and given a passport? Qatari?
These are temporary Qataris.
That, my friend, is the right question!
Just when I was thinking what a good crowd they’ve finally got – turns out it’s still the same Potemkin Village after all.
This is absolutely weird. I come from a relatively poor country with way less resources than Qatar yet we rarely have organization issues like these whether for local or international events. I just cannot find an explanation to the repeated organization failures in Qatar.
On a side note, good to see Qatar in the semifinals. They have done a great job so far. Mabrook 🙂
Yes, congratulations to the Qatar (Inter)National team
http://www.dw.de/qatars-foreign-legion-primed-for-handball-date-with-germany/a-18219900
Shouldn’t there be some law as to max foreign or recently nationalized players on a national team? I can understand it on club level but when you’re playing for a country it’s ridiculous, just becomes a matter of who has the biggest budget
Athletic teams here are full of mercenaries.
Yes I know and I disagree with this strategy of naturalizing players for few months, but let’s celebrate first and then we will discuss that 😛 🙂
Two things to remember:
1. Qatar has a good team
2. There is no need to buy a ticket: free entrance to all sport events
Typical!
Planning to get a ticket for the finals but after reading this I’m not bothered. Thanks Doha News.
To those who’ve paid for the tickets but was barred from entering, can they report it in the Ministry of Economy and Commerce? That’s a vagrant violation of the Consumer Protection law.
Time to boycott everything to do with planned events in Doha. I’ve got 2 tickets for the woman’s tennis for sale if anyone wants them. They can probably hear the crowds inside while being denied access.
People have traveled from all over the world to attend this event. they have booked their tickets in advance and paid for their flight. it is an absolute disgrace that this has been allowed to happen in an international event such as this. all those who bought tickets and could not get in because of appalling organisational skills should be fully compensated.
it is only a matter of time before a foreign news agency gets hold of a story like this and there will be another *&#@ storm around how unsuitable Qatar is to be holding these kind of events. They really let themselves down with things like this.
Sort it out!!!
Next time just forget about buying tickets.
Appearently ticketholders for the semifinals from the nations no longer in the run have had their tickets anulled giving them tickets for their nations remaining matcheces for the lower positions instead – WITHOUT ASKING THEM.
This is not a matter of incompetence – its a matter of deliberarte discrimination by a government from a nation that only got the match because corrupt nations that cannot even put together a team from their own nationals get to vote in the International Handball Organization.
Why does the king allow foreigners to be insulted this way in his nations name?