Ticket holders require a Hayya Card to receive access stadiums and free public transportation while serving as a pass for travellers flocking to Doha.
Qatar has reportedly resolved an issue concerning Hayya card applications for Yemeni football fans hoping to attend the FIFA World Cup, Sanaa’s envoy to Doha announced on Sunday, following widespread complaints.
Some Yemeni fans who attempted to apply for the mandatory Hayya card, a crucial document needed to visit Qatar for the World Cup, claimed their applications were rejected with no reasonings provided, while others said they were cancelled.
However, Yemen’s Ambassador to Qatar Rajeh Badi addressed the complaints, noting he had contacted authorities to rectify the issue
“In the last few hours, we contacted the concerned authorities and received promises to address the problem. The issue was actually resolved and these cards are now working,” said Badi.
The Yemeni envoy said the remaining applications will be “completed in the coming days”.
“The concerned authorities in Qatar confirmed during our communication with them on several levels that there is no truth to what was raised about preventing Yemenis from attending the World Cup,” said Badi.
The Yemeni official noted that cards of other nationalities were also cancelled due to the same issue before they were later resolved.
Ticket holders attending the World Cup require a Hayya Card to receive access stadiums and free public transportation. For visitors from abroad, the mandatory ID card serves as a pass for travellers flocking to Qatar.
Last week, authorities in Qatar revealed that at least 75% of the World Cup ticket holders, an approximate of 1.5 million, have signed up for the Hayya Card.
The World Cup organising committee said that between 4,000-to-5,000 Hayya cards are being printed on a daily basis, a figure that is expected to spike towards the arrival of football fans next month.
To better assist attendees of the major tournament, Qatar inaugurated a Hayya Card service centre at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), with the capacity to issue 40 cards within five minutes.
The number of cards printed within the same time is also expected to rise to 80.
Last week, ticket sales for the World Cup reached 2.89 million, a number that is also expected to increase towards the kick off on 20 November.
Among the top 10 purchasing countries of World Cup tickets are Qatar, the United States, Saudi Arabia, England, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, France, Brazil and Germany.
