Qatar on Monday said they will inaugurate their fourth 2022 FIFA World Cup venue on December 18, 2020. Officials said the new venue will reach approximately 50 percent capacity when it hosts this year’s Amir Cup final.
The one-off clash coincides with Qatar’s National Day. Officials of the Qatar Football Association (QFA), the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) along with the Ministry of Public Health said football fans will get to watch Al Sadd take on Al Arabi in the Amir Cup final only when they return a negative result on a COVID-19 test. The new stadium has a seating capacity of 40,000.
This will be the biggest sports attendance anywhere in the region in recent months. In the last three months, Qatar has staged two separate month-long football events - the matches of the AFC Champions League in West and East Zones. The East Zone matches - which are currently on - end in Doha with a blockbuster title clash on December 19, a day after the Amir Cup final.
Qatar is determined to deliver the Amir Cup final with a big attendance following PCR tests on all fans. The tests will also be mandatory on those associated with the match including the players, coaching staff, employees of the venue, members of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), people dealing with TV and social media coverage, match referees and assistants and the medical staff. Everyone will be tested and only those who return negative result will be allowed inside the brand new stadium.
Merely entering the stadium COVID-19 free won’t be the only filter in play. How every fan is seated will also be monitored and carefully managed, an MOPH official said on Monday. Social distancing will be strictly enforced after fans show a green status on their Ehteraz app.
The fan zone will open from 4-6pm and again at 9pm after the Amir Cup final concludes, it was confirmed. Officials at Monday’s presser said fans will be encouraged to remain at the fan zone or spend time in the Mall of Qatar - the country’s largest shopping area - in order to ensure social distancing requirements are adhered to.
The task to deliver a safe Amir Cup final is anything but a small project. Given Qatar’s bold step of agreeing to make the occasion of inaugurating a World Cup venue in spectacular fashion should be commended by the football family and sports fans in general.
