Polish family praises Qatar’s smooth handling of World Cup
APolish family heaped praise on Qatar for the smooth handling of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in particular the Hayya card system, and urged fans coming from across the world to take a deeper dive into Qatar’s nature and culture.
“My feedback about Hayya is positive; it is easy to acquire and use, both online and in the physical form, and my friends didn’t experience any problems,” said QatarPoland Business Council vice-chairman Pawel Kulaga.
Returning to Qatar from a business trip on the opening day, the situation at the Hamad International Airport (HIA) and in the Doha Metro seemed well-managed, said Kulaga, who hopes to see Poland meet Croatia in the final, which will be played on December 18.
As many as 10,000 Polish fans are reportedly in Qatar to cheer for their national team, which is in Group C.
His wife Anna said the fan zones that Qatar has made for the World Cup offered more attractions.
“We live in Lusail Marina area next to the promenade, where I usually walk with our sons in the morning,” she said, adding the city has been made beautiful and up to global expectations.
About the criticisms levelled against Qatar, Kulaga indicated that those would diminish over time.
“I hope Qatar will show the world how friendly and interesting a country it is, and the citizens and expats will be proud of what they achieved together,” he said, adding that it was not easy with all the construction work (during the construction phase), but the outcome is “amazing”.
“Doha and the other cities are looking beautiful, and I’m happy all of this will stay after the event to be enjoyed by residents of Qatar,” he said.
Highlighting that 10 years ago Poland organised the UEFA European Football Championship along with Ukraine, Kulega said that it was a great struggle too, and not everything worked as planned, but eventually, it was a great success for both nations, and for the most part memories of the event were positive.
“The Middle East and Arabia itself are fascinating places, so I would encourage fans coming to watch football, to take a deeper dive into Qatar’s nature and culture, to plan a visit to the inland sea, Zekreet or Old Souq Al Wakra, which personally are my favourite spots in the country,” he said.
Asked to predict the 2022 World Cup winner, Kulega said: “Poland has Robert Lewandowski, so everything is possible. I’d like to watch the final match between Poland and Croatia, the country where I like to spend holidays, and which plays some really good football.”