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At the dramatic conclusion of the FIFA Arab Cup in Doha, tens of thousands of ardent supporters saw Algeria take the title. On a nail-biting evening, the African champions defeated Tunisia 2-0 in a competition that served as a World Cup warm-up for Qatari organizers.
The two North African countries fought it out in extra time after the game ended in a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes. Amir Sayoud, who had sat out four matches throughout the campaign but came off the bench to curl a spectacular shot past goalkeeper Mouez Hassen, broke the stalemate. Algeria’s captain, Yacine Brahimi, scored the game’s second goal to secure the victory.
The two North African countries fought it out in extra time after the game ended in a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes. Amir Sayoud, who had sat out four matches throughout the campaign but came off the bench to curl a spectacular shot past goalkeeper Mouez Hassen, broke the stalemate. Algeria’s captain, Yacine Brahimi, scored the game’s second goal to secure the victory.
This is a dress rehearsal
Qatar is facing one of its most significant obstacles as it prepares to host the 2022 World Cup, which will begin on November 21 at Al Bayt Stadium and end on December 18 at Lusail Stadium. It will be the first World Cup in the Middle East, as well as the most compact, with supporters able to watch many games per day during the early rounds owing to the stadiums’ closeness to Doha.
In six of the stadiums that will host matches during next year’s FIFA World Cup, the Arab Cup allowed for the testing of these operations in matches, as well as the deployment of Fan IDs and a local contract-tracing program.
Technology that will change the game
Football is looking to the future, and the Arab Cup provided an excellent opportunity to put that vision to the test. FIFA conducted a testing of its new semi-automated technology, which utilizes artificial intelligence and analytics to alert the video assistant referee, or VAR, if it detects a possible offside in real time.
Using this technology, a UAE goal against Mauritania was disallowed during the group stage, but how does it work?
- Cameras were placed on the stadium’s roof to follow players and track up to 29 data points at a rate of 50 frames per second.
- Artificial intelligence captures and analyzes data in a matter of seconds.
- VAR makes the ultimate decision.
According to a study conducted by the Football Supporters’ Association in June 2021, VAR has had a difficult ride since its debut in matches, with just 26% in favor of maintaining it. Offside rulings have been a source of contention in the past, but they are here to stay. “VAR has had a really beneficial influence on football,” FIFA’s top refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, stated. We can claim that the frequency of severe errors has decreased substantially, but there are still places where it can be improved, and offside is one of them.” Though the future of World cup 2022 is at stake with the COVID situation, Qatar is taking all the necessary steps possible to create a safer environment for everyone.
Qatar had a successful test event during the three-week Arab Cup. The quarter-final match between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates gathered 63,439 spectators, the single-largest crowd for a sports event in Qatar. The venues were gorgeous, the organization was flawless, and Qatar has shown to the world that it is ready to host the world’s most watched sports event in 2022.
