Nation Misunderstood

Lubaib Gazir, Qatar

My name is Lubaib Gazir. I am an engineer by profession, but a passionate photographer, travel lover, and adventure seeker! I have always been a football lover, playing for my school team and college team during my early years, and still playing for leisure among with my friends. Growing up in a country like Qatar, football has played a huge role in shaping who I have become today. When I analyze my current circle of friends and take a look back on how I met them, I realize how football was one of the main things that bonded us all together and made us friends for life. I was football crazy, just like most other kids in Qatar, playing most of the time in the streets or in the school or parks. It's incredible to realize how I have made many friends from various different nationalities, learned many different languages from them, and football also allowed me to stay active and fit throughout the years.

I am Indian, and a long-term resident in Qatar. I have been here for 19 years and have spent most of my life in this country. My dad came to Qatar over 35 years ago, and he had married my mom in India. I moved to Doha along with my mom when I was 8 years old. 

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

I want to portray to the world how passionate people are about football in Qatar. There is a common misconception after Qatar was awarded the FIFA 2022 World Cup, especially in the western world, that the World Cup was awarded to a region that is not that passionate about football. I would like to prove otherwise with my images and show them how the game is deeply rooted into the daily culture here in the country. 

What is your favourite photo? Why?

Random kids in the neighbourhood in Abu Hamour. It evokes a lot of nostalgia as it reminded me of my childhood growing up in Qatar, playing football in the street with the kids in the neighbourhood. Every afternoon after we returned from school, we would all walk onto the streets looking to find the mate with the football to kick off and start a game with. 

One very specific part of this picture that brings back a lot of memories are the goalposts that we used during our games, or to practice freekicks and penalty shootouts with. We used the steel poles of the car park shades as our goalposts most of the time. Sometimes it could be two car park shade poles on opposite sides as the goalposts, or sometimes a car park pole post, and our slippers or shoes on the other side of the road to develop our makeshift goalposts. 

I was driving in my car in one of the neighbourhoods in the suburbs of Doha, and I had to stop and take this picture when I saw that the kids still play the same way as I did years before. Sometimes you may not have a grass pitch, or proper boots, or adequate facilities to play, but the passion for the game leads you to improvise and make the best out of your surroundings to enjoy the beautiful game of football.

Are there any good stories connected with the people or teams you photographed? 

As recently as 10-15 years ago, I would run along with a football on these same paths during family picnics on weekends, and there were probably about 3 or 4 tall buildings that made up the skyscrapers in the background. Looking back at it now in the same space, my younger sister is doing the same, except that the amount of buildings that have popped up over the bay in such a short time is overwhelming. The rapid development of the country gearing up to the FIFA 2022 World Cup is quite exciting, and something that everyone in the country is looking forward to and longing for!

Other pictures portray one of the local tournaments for youth teams that was taking place at Aspire Academy. Every future is written by the youth of that country, and this very much symbolizes how progressive Qatar is, when it comes to the country investing in football, and sports in general. The Aspire Academy is one such state funded initiative to discover, develop, and nurture young talents to make them successful sportspersons in the future. Since its foundation the youth academy has developed world class athletes and football players, who now play for various clubs and teams around the world. I would like to show the world that Qatar is one crazy country when it comes to football, where the game can be considered as the national sport, and is played and enjoyed by almost every household in the nation.

What role does football play in Qatari society?

Football plays a huge role in Qatari society. It is the main sport that is watched, played, and enjoyed by every household in the country. It is what unites people from varying backgrounds. Growing up in a country where you have many more expats than the local population, it was in street grounds outside our homes that united many different nationalities through football. It was not uncommon to play football in the afternoons with the most international impromptu team you could ever play with, where the goalkeeper was from Jordan, and defenders from Tunisia, Palestine, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Midfielders from Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon, and India, and strikers from Qatar and Somalia. We all united and learnt about each other’s languages and cultures through a common language of football.

What changes are happening in Qatari football culture?

The country is full of spirit and enthusiasm for football, especially with the FIFA 2022 World Cup preparations in place. A lot more facilities for the sport are being built around each and every neighbourhood, and the positive aspects of the game are being promoted more and more to the public these days. We have a lot more people interested in the local football league, and a lot more supporters of the Qatar national team after the country recently won the AFC Asia Cup 2019. We could see a lot more of the public, the locals, and also the expats that come from different nationalities being united when it comes to a match of the Qatari national team. Everyone goes to cheer for the national team, and it is such an amazing sight of unity and harmony among the different nationalities that this game brings to the country.

What is the most surprising or interesting part of Qatari football culture?

I could say 3 out of every 4 kids in this country loves, enjoys and plays football. I wonder if the same statistics may apply to many of the other countries out there that criticize Qatar for the lack of love for the game?

What does the world misunderstand about Qatar?

The cases of human rights and migrant labour is another issue which is extremely complex and one that is often misunderstood and taken out of context by many around the world. Yes, there are cases where workers in Qatar are sadly exploited by their agents or companies, but what the world often fails to see are the positive stories that many have working in Qatar.

Qatar is often seen as a country of great opportunities for many of the expats, including myself and my family. My dad moved here long ago looking for better opportunities which he may have not found back home in India. The same applies for many others, who come here to work and earn a living which they may not be able to get back home. They are happy to come here to work, and earn, and it is not like they are forced here to work.

I would also like to highlight that such cases of labour exist everywhere in the world, in most countries where you have people from countries with lesser opportunities move to countries that provide more opportunities. Such cases happen everywhere in the world, and it may not necessarily be a case of forced labour. It is the same for Qatar as it is everywhere else.

Like I said, unfortunately workers in Qatar do continue to face issues in this country. But the government has changed a lot of rules and regulations in the past few years, which have all been positive and welcomed by the general population in the country as well as long-standing critics around the world. Being awarded the World Cup did pressure the country to change some of its laws and regulations to meet certain international standards, which has been happening in the past few years. The working conditions at present are much better than how it was 5-10 years ago. Things are progressing very well in the country in regard to human rights and laws, all thanks to the FIFA World Cup 2022.

What will be the biggest impact of the World Cup in 2022?

The biggest impact of the World Cup in 2022 will be the opportunity it provides for the world to visit and experience the Middle East, and the Arab world. A part of the world that is often very much filled with a lot of negative stereotypes, and a place a lot of people in the West think is dangerous and filled with war and terrorists. The reality is very much different, and the World Cup would be the perfect opportunity for the entire world to visit and experience how welcoming, safe, beautiful, and pleasant Qatar is. I hope post World Cup, Qatar can erase the negative stereotypes from the minds of people, especially in the West, and show them the actual reality rather than the negative propaganda often infiltrated to the minds of the people through the media.

What is the future for football in Qatar?

With the World Cup in a few years’ time, and with the national team being the strongest in Asia, all aspects of football are developing at a very rapid pace. The future for football here is going to be very bright and prosperous, Insha Allah!