MEANWHILE IN…
1 “YOU’RE A YEAR EARLY, LADS…”
There was a terrible mix-up in the closing weeks of 2021, as a sombrero-wearing Mexican and a Colombian turned up in Doha. “We’re here for the World Cup – who’s playing today, guys?”
Iraq vs Bahrain wasn’t the answer they’d hoped for, but OK, this wasn’t actually a mix-up: together with a collection of fans from around the world, the duo had been invited to Qatar for the first ever Arab Cup.
The event was created to help the hosts prepare for the World Cup, with crowds ranging from 1,500 up to 63,000 for one of Qatar’s fixtures – they later lost a semi-final to Algeria, despite a
