The 974 Stadium looms large on the Express Road that connects the Hamad International Airport to Downtown Doha.
The arena, which gets its name from the almost 1,000 shipping containers that formed its structure, was built for the 2022 World Cup. It was to be dismantled two Decembers ago, immediately after Lionel Messi and Argentina reigned supreme in Qatar, and donated to countries deemed to need it most.
As one of the first landmarks to come into view for those who touch down in Doha and head for the city’s heartland, it feels now of another era, the top tiers gone to leave a barren ring around its upper half.
Yet signposts on the highway still demarcate designated lanes into the stadium for media and TV; the overpass bridge that straddles the multi-laned road is emblazoned with Qatar 2022 insignia. “Welcome Amazing”, the tournament tagline, peers down, in large script, from the flyover.
Not much more than a year on from Qatar’s major moment, the Gulf state has welcomed another marquee international tournament this month and midway into the next. The 2023 Asian Cup, relocated from China and thus rescheduled in Qatar, got under way on Friday night to the north of Doha, where the hosts fared mightily better than they did upon the grand opening to the Arab world’s first World Cup, 14 months ago.
At the same Lusail Stadium that hoisted Messi, finally, among the immortals, Qatar overcame Lebanon with minimal fuss, winning 3-0. The defending champions, Asian Cup winners four years previously in the UAE, gave the majority of the near 82,500 crowd what they wanted; Akram Afif and Almoez Ali, that transcendent tandem from 2019, recaptured form of old to rekindle possibilities of repeat success for their country.
Coming into the tournament, such a feat felt a long way away. To be fair, and irrespective of their opening Group A victory, it still does. Qatar have endured a fraught year since the world converged on its shores. Wounded by their group exit – their trio of defeats ranks as the worst display by a host nation – they replaced long-time manager Felix Sanchez with the combustible Carlos Queiroz.
The Portuguese did not even make it to the Asian Cup; he parted company with the Qatar Football Association last month, leaving the rather more discreet “Tintin” Marquez Lopez to step into the breach at the 11th hour.
To put it lightly, preparations for the defence of their continental crown have been far from ideal. It is not what the country, eager to better showcase it footballing talent than it did at the World Cup, would have desired.
The national team’s malaise had led, understandably, to some indifference. Apathy may be too strong a sentiment, but it could explain why, in the build-up to its latest staging of a premier football event, Doha did not seem to have fully embraced it.
For sure, nothing can replicate the razzmatazz of a World Cup, where it felt as if half the planet’s population had descended on the desert.
But, whereas Qatar 2022 enveloped Doha, Asian Cup 2023 has not quite made its mark. Rather, the most prominent hoardings as you enter the city advertise Expo 2023, which runs until the end of March, when “The World Meets Again in Doha”. It is situated at Al Bidda Park, home during the World Cup to a sprawling Fifa Fan Festival.
At Souq Waqif, the meeting point for the masses throughout the last global finals, few street hawkers sold Asian Cup merchandise. As was the case back in late 2022, broadcasters beIn Sports had reporters and camera crew stationed in the marketplace, but instead of interviewing fans in the canary yellow of Brazil or the deep red of Spain, or the ubiquitous blue and white stripes of Argentina, they turned the mic to a young girl in Al Hilal’s royal blue.
Rather than replica jerseys of France, Germany or England hanging in shop windows, there was Al Nassr, made famous since the World Cup by Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar’s Hilal, or Kylian Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain.
The World Cup has gone; of course it has. It pitches at another plot every four years, consumes whatever country - or, increasingly, countries - that have been allocated, then mows on, swelling not only in participants, but apparently in import, too.
But the Asian Cup represents an opportunity for Qatar to move on also. There should be an acknowledgment of their place in history, of the successful hosting of arguably sport’s greatest spectacle. However, the continent’s showpiece competition allows the opportunity to confirm a legacy from 2022, that the World Cup did indeed deepen Qatar’s love for the game.
On Friday, it seized the chance to shine. While the metro’s red line to Lusail was hardly heaving in the same way it did for the World Cup – how could it? – it was filled with families decked out in Qatar colours, the excitement at getting to witness another spectacular opening ceremony palpable, together with their national team at the top end of competition.
Huge roars greeted almost everything from the fireworks and festivities to the conclusion of the Qatar national anthem, to any impactful incident on the pitch. A determined drummer kept the mood upbeat; the crowd responding by clapping in unison or chorusing their team’s name.
The stadium, though, began to empty surprisingly early and with Qatar 2-0 up and patently cruising, the home fans perhaps realising the points were secure, or desperate to beat the traffic back into Doha. Yet the turnout was impressive.
Granted, whether such conviction can be maintained throughout the next four weeks and the 50 matches still to unfurl remains to be seen – organisers said earlier this week that 900,000 tickets had already been sold – but Qatar could be proud of its premiere night of the 2023 Asian Cup.
They were right to make the most of it. Conceivably, this marks the last major football tournament to be held in the country for the foreseeable future. The spotlight, not only of Asian football but perhaps the global game, shifts soon to Saudi Arabia – the kingdom will house the 2027 Asian Cup - leaving its Gulf neighbour to maybe reset after the World Cup and away from the glare, and rally towards consistent progress on the pitch.
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
LOVE%20AGAIN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Jim%20Strouse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Priyanka%20Chopra%20Jonas%2C%20Sam%20Heughan%2C%20Celine%20Dion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.