Siege countries’ bid to mix politics with sports boomerangs

“Sports and politics don’t mix,” said America’s champion speed skater Eric Heiden in 1980. Heiden’s famous quote is a truism that should hold good even today. But, quite evidently, it does not with Qatar’s neighbours. It’s been a year since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly froze relations with Qatar. At first, the four nations severed economic and diplomatic ties; then it soon spilled into sports, with the hostile countries refusing to send their teams to Qatar to participate in sporting events.With Qatar making rapid strides in football in the Gulf and having won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Saudi and UAE conspired to target football tournaments hosted by Qatar.The first indication of what they planned to do came in September 2017, when the UAE pulled its football team out of the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rejected its request to not play against Qatar. Few days later, Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain refused to confirm their participation in the Gulf Nations Cup, which Qatar was to host in December.The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF), of which the president is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Thani, who also heads the Qatar Football Association (QFA), went ahead and conducted the draw ceremony.As the boycotting countries refused to rise above their personal greed while using football as means for their political good, Qatar chose not to mix politics with sports. In a move which was commended by the football governing body FIFA, Qatar offered to give up on hosting Gulf Nations Cup and agreed to move the 23rd edition of the tournament to Kuwait.It also played a key role in FIFA lifting a suspension imposed on Kuwait’s football association in 2015 over alleged government interference.FIFA President Gianni Infantino thanked Qatar football officials for moving the tournament. “I would like to congratulate and thank the Qatari football authorities for their honourable gesture,” Infantino had said.  He added that the move was “not unexpected as it is in line with Qatar’s commitment as the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup”.Qatar had showed football is a platform to bring people together, and it should stay away from any political ideology. QFA president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani had said: “This edition of the Gulf Cup of Nations is a celebration for all the people of the Arabian Gulf after lifting the international suspension on Kuwait.” While the tournament was held successfully in Kuwait, Saudi and UAE authorities were adamant their clubs would only play against Qatari clubs in the AFC Champions league on neutral territory. They were also lobbying the AFC to either have the home and away format of the tournament changed or accept their demand for neutral venues for matches involving Qatari and Saudi club sides.But AFC refused to accede to their demands. The AFC had sent a delegation to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE led by its senior vice-president Praful Patel. During his meetings, Patel had made it clear that there was no question of the format of the tournament being changed.Despite that Saudi Arabia and UAE kept hoping that the AFC would accede to their demand of playing their clubs’ matches involving Qatari teams in Kuwait, without any success. On the field too, Qatari football clubs enjoyed better success and showed their domination over Saudi and UAE teams. Al Duhail and Al Sadd were the only teams from the Gulf to qualify for the AFC Champions League quarter-finals. Ironically they beat Saudi and UAE teams on their route to last eight.QNB Stars League champions Duhail won all six of their group matches and thrashed UAE champions Al Ain 8-3 on aggregate in two legs of the Round of 16. On the other hand, Al Sadd beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli 4-3 on aggregate.