With reporting by Chantelle D’mello. Photos by 2015 Handball, Chantelle d’Mello and Gazanfarulla Khan.
Qatar’s historic run at the Men’s Handball World Championship came to an end during this evening’s final match as the national team came up short against France, losing 25-22.
The defeat at the new Lusail Multipurpose Hall marked the end of a tournament in which the host team exceeded the expectations of many after coming in ranked 32nd in the world and advancing to the championship match.
The dramatic on-court performance came as local organizers staged a largely successful two-week international sporting event that also included concerts by some of the most popular performers to ever come to Qatar, including Pharrell Williams, Gwen Stefani and Jason Derulo. Kylie Minogue, Taio Cruz and Mani Hoffman were scheduled to perform following this evening’s match.
The Lusail arena – one of three new stadiums built for the tournament – was awash in maroon and white as spectators, many of whom could be seen dressed in wigs and costumes, waved Qatari flags that were handed out in the atrium to arriving fans.
Amazing crowd turnout to support #Qatar once again for the @2015handball Finals. #Doha #LiveitWinit pic.twitter.com/atTIxHCAFa
— Gazan Khan (@acepilotkhan) February 1, 2015
Qatar led off the scoring, adding more energy to an already hyped-up crowd.
The team fell behind and trailed 14-11 at the half and narrowed the gap to one goal at one point in the second half, but could ultimately could not take the lead.
Final result
#َQatar 22-25 #Franceالنتيجة النهائية
#قطر 22 و #فرنسا 25 #العنابي_انت_قدها#LiveitWinit pic.twitter.com/1vTTPDcIHM— Qatar Handball 2015 (@2015Handball) February 1, 2015
Bronze medal match
The finals match was preceded by an overtime win by Poland, which captured the bronze medal by defeating Spain 29-28.
http://vine.co/v/OtPhUu2vPiK
POLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND !!!!!#teampoland #Handball2015 #michałszyba @2015Handball
— Aleksandra Leśnicka (@OlaLesnicka) February 1, 2015
Poland!!!3rd place in handball!! #PolishPride #Handball2015 @2015Handball
— Wincenty Jakobs (@Vince101500) February 1, 2015
Admission confusion
Earlier in the day, some ticket-holders said they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to make it inside the venue for the sold-out match after organizers said that the doors would be closed at 4:30pm. That’s just as the bronze medal match between Poland and Spain was starting, but nearly three hours before the final match was scheduled to get underway.
Ultimately, the gates remained open for ticket holders past 5pm.
Organizers gave no reason for the warning for fans to show up early, although some speculated it was a security related measure due to the attendance of several VIPs, including Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Others questioned whether it was related to the organizers’ desire to fill the stadium and noted the large crowd – most of whom were in Qatari national dress – milling outside the stadium prior to the first match. They were allowed in shortly before 7pm.
Unlike last week’s quarter-final match, when hundreds of ticket-holders were turned away by security guards because the arena was supposedly already full, there did not appear to be any public complaints of fans being denied entry this evening.
There did, however, appear to at least one isolated incident. Ticket holder Hansel Crasto said he arrived at 4:30pm, but was barred from entering by security guards for more than two hours even as individuals who did not appear to have tickets were allowed in.
Thoughts?
Quite surprising actually, I expected “Qatar” team to win, same way as in semi-finals.
ok.. don’t give them the exit permit… take revenge …
Some guy said they didn’t let him in and that’s news? Literally one guy is all you could find and that was news? No verification no nothing.
Great achievement for Qatar. Now let’s hope they will start seriously working on creating a Qatari team rather than a team of foreigners. See Al Attiya and Mutaz Barshim, they are Qatari and they achieved international results. The handball and football people should be the same, and there is no need to play games with the rules of the federation.
okay look the handball team may have foreigners in it but the football team that’s under 20 (the football team for teenager that won goldat the asian AFC for teenagers) all of them are Qatari and no they’re not foreigners and they plar really well they’ve defeated DPR korea and china Japan etc.
That is something to be proud of and I hope Qatar builds internal success in all sports because you have the resources and time to do it.
It was the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship, with this team.
Good to hear that. I assume many of these will be part of the Qatari national team in WC 2022.
yeah i think so
Well done to both teams, but especially Qatar. You can’t take it away from them, they played a great tournament.
Thoughts? How about Qatar sucks and should not host the FIFA World Cup? Wishful thinking I know seeing how FIFA is the corrupt organization we all know.
LOL, someone has sour grapes! 😉
What a lucid, well thought out contribution. Not only is your intellect truly dazzling, I bet you’re a hoot at parties. Can we book you for speeches and stuff?
You’re not American by any chance?
Blame FIFA for that. At least Qatar have the money and ability to handle the event, not like pathetic Brazil.
Generally in life, you get what you pay for. Qatar put a lot into this–big marketing campaigning led by foreign firms and consultants, world-class players, and decent venues designed by foreigners and built by expat workers. Sure, there very little of it was traditional ‘Qatari’ (from the players to the performers), but very little of Qatar is. What do critics expect? A bunch of guys arriving on camels and playing thobes? I’d say the games were a realistic reflexion of what Qatar of 2015 is.
Biggest winner of this tournament is a country that doesn’t exist anymore – Yugoslavia. Not only that there were 4 teams qualified and playing here that come from the former Yugoslav republics (Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Slovenia), also the best players in the finals from both French and Qatari teams are naturalised Yugoslavs.
The Karabatics are borned and raised in France ! Same for Joli, Omeyer, Narcisse,Fernandez, Guigou, etc… They deserved it ! France is made of emigrations also, it’s part of the game ;0)
Nikola Karabatic, born in Nis, Serbia.
No, a few of them were born in their home countries (Bosnia, Serbia, etc.). The Karabtic family only migrated to France around 30 years ago.
That’s not that long for a people to consider themselves another nationality.
My dad lived in the U.S. 26 years, to work and be with my mom, and never once considered himself an American; he was a Qatari and that’s it.
Anywho! I am glad for the Balkan people to be doing so well. And congrats to France 😀
As you said it is part of the game 😛 many teams will have “naturalised” members; it doesn’t matter ^.^
Well done Qatar, a few minor blips in the organisation but lets hope that they learn from this and continue to improve putting on better and better events.
A huge achievement to reach the final, one that surely all Qataris can be proud of.
Qasaman
Well done qatar for putting on a great event. Fantastic run to get to the final. Who knows what may happen in the world cup?
If tickets holders who have flown half-way around the world at great expense don’t have access to paid for seats? Well, it will make interesting 6PM news, but I wouldn’t want to be in the crowd…
DN – any idea why the main road between Al khor and Doha was shut about 6pm? Was this because of an accident or the final at Lusail – it would have affected those trying to get to lusail for the final and was a massive shambles for those trying to get to Doha (particularly with cement works bridge shut at Simaisma and no diversion signs or instructions)
Qatar on top of the handball: Is this the end of the sport or the reflection of a new era? Full text here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/qatar-top-handball-end-sport-reflection-new-era-rolim-silva
I don’t see how this can be considered ‘coming up short’. It was an excellent showing indeed for a team with no history, it is certainly something to be proud of. The facilities were good and overall the 2 weeks were very well done. Yes, the usual issues with seating and admission were present, but that is the Qatar way – it needs to be fixed before any larger event or there’ll be rioting in the streets. The only thing that could reasonably have been better was communication of timings, performers, etc. Again, last-minute communication is the Qatar way and needs to be improved before any larger event.
That being said, overall a very good performance, I’d give it a 93/100, which is very strong for a first time performer.
If someone can explain to me what it means national representation without a native citizen?!.What that means sport’s passport?!.All of the teams worthily represented their country.I do not agree that vice-champion of the world should be Qatar.I will always support my team-Polish team and in this case with double force when the referees were playing with Qatar against Poland .I think that referees guaranteed Qatar’s team the win before the game has been started.Serbian referees did everything to make more difficult Poles fight with Qatar.Scandal.I would like to say big thank u to my team-Polish team for fair play game. I’m so proud to be polish,cause I know that honour,honesty,pride of the origin and clean fight for victory are most important than sheikh’s dollars.Well done Guys.Also I would like to congratulate France to being World Champion we can see that skills and honest fight won with money.What about Serbian referees in my opinion they sleep well with accounts full of dollars.