The efforts largely fell flat. The attendance was declared at just over 16,000, though the actual number of fans appeared far lower. Qatar had almost none: a Qatar soccer federation spokesman said as many as 2,000 fans would have made the trip in normal times. In the end, Qatar had to make do with a small and curious collection of followers that included Janko Yang, a 23-year-old Chinese student who grew fond of Qatar’s soccer team after its under-23 squad visited his hometown, Changzhou, last year.
At the other end of the stadium, Mary Lee, the Korean communications worker who has become relatively well-known around the team, had somehow snagged a seat in the media area. Sporting a silk dress she had made in the maroon and white colors of Qatar’s flag — a direct challenge to rules that forbid public support of Qatar in the U.A.E. — Lee, 45, vowed to stay at the tournament until her adopted country completes its run. (Asked to change clothing by security officials before she attended the tournament opener between the U.A.E. and Bahrain, Lee has been given dispensation to wear her elaborate outfit only at Qatar’s games.)
The most voluble support, though, came from the group of Omanis who had raced across the city after watching their team clinch berth in the knockout rounds with a 3-1 victory over Turkmenistan. Beneficiaries of the free Saudi tickets, they cheered Qatar’s players as they celebrated their victory. Oman has historically enjoyed a friendly relationship with all its neighbors, and has adopted a neutral role in the Gulf dispute.
“We are like one country, we are one people in the Gulf, and we are cheering for them because they haven’t got fans here,” said Abdullah Moqubuli, 30, before adding that he and his friends would have cheered for Saudi Arabia, too, had the Saudis managed to score a goal.
Sánchez, Qatar’s coach, acknowledged their contribution after the match.
“We appreciated it and we want to thank them because it’s important to us to have also some people with the team,” he said. Qatar’s captain, Hassan al-Haydos, had a similar message for Yang, the Chinese student.
“I’d like to thank him, and tell him to come to the next game,” al-Haydos said.
Source : NYtimes
