Arabian Gulf Cup offers hope of diplomatic breakthrough

John McManus

Gulf Insights Series Nº 14 – January 2020 Gulf Insights Nº 14 – January 2020

Arabian Gulf Cup offers hope of diplomatic breakthrough John McManus

Introduction Saudi-based communications company. The blockade affected the On 8th December, Sayed 2017 edition of the Gulf Cup, which Mohammed Jaffer, the captain of the moved from Qatar to Kuwait after Bahrain national football team, lifted Saudi, UAE and Bahrain threatened to aloft the Arabian Gulf Cup at Abdullah pull out. bin Khalifa stadium in Doha. The victory As this year’s tournament in of his tiny island nation didn’t simply Doha drew closer, the blockading signal an unexpected triumph on the nations were once again expected to football field. It also represented a boycott the event. In November, a draw glimmer of hope for a diplomatic took place to determine the matches breakthrough. between the five remaining countries of Less than a month earlier, Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait. Bahrain hadn’t even been expected to Organisers worked on the basis that participate in the tournament — the bi- they were hosting a reduced-sized annual highpoint on the region’s event, planning stadiums and tickets football calendar. The kingdom, along accordingly. I still have what I hope is with Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia and now a collector’s edition ‘ticket guide’, the UAE, had announced that it would produced in early November, outlining refuse to take part in the contest. the five-team tournament. The decision was the latest snub But on 13th November, just 11 of Doha in a dispute that has run since days before the tournament was due to June 2017, when Gulf neighbours start, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates had a sudden change of heart — and and Bahrain (along with Egypt) severed announced that they were willing to diplomatic relations with Qatar, closing participate in the contest. The decision their land border and airspace to Qatar. came after a visit by the Qatari foreign The blockading countries accused minister to Saudi Arabia. It arrived Qatar of supporting terrorism, a charge against a backdrop of talk of a wider that Doha repeatedly denied. They set thaw between the rival nations, out a list of demands that Doha refused following the attendance in May of to meet. Qatar’s Prime Minister at the GCC summit in Mecca and a meeting of all Sport and the blockade six GCC interior ministers in early November. From the outset, sport has been Kristian Ulrichsen, Middle East caught up in the dispute. In October fellow at Rice University’s Baker 2017, a top UAE security official Institute for Public Policy, believes that suggested that the only way for the other geopolitical developments in the blockade to end was for Qatar to give region — including the recent hijacking up on hosting the 2022 World Cup. A of oil tankers and a major attack on sophisticated piracy operation – Saudi oil facilities — concentrated bootlegging the content of Qatar-based minds among the region’s rulers. ‘The sports broadcaster BeIN Sports – has attacks on maritime traffic and oil been transmitted using satellite facilities since May have refocused infrastructure owned by Arabsat, a attention on real rather than

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Gulf Insights Nº 14 – January 2020 manufactured threats to stability,’ he the same journey – the land border with told the Bloomberg news agency. Qatar remained closed, leaving only the Kuwait, which has sat on the sidelines hardcore fans willing to make a seven- of the dispute, reportedly urged Saudi hour flight via Kuwait, and a small Arabia to take part in the tournament as number of Saudis already living in a goodwill gesture. Qatar. Indeed, there were more The Qatari organising committee Omanis in the crowd than Saudis – fans swung into action. A new draw was who had chosen to hang around after held, a revised schedule published and their side had played Yemen earlier in preparations made for an eight-team the evening. When Kuwait scored, they event. On the eve of the tournament, all jumped up and cheered loudly. ‘You the Saudi squad flew direct to Qatar want Kuwait to win?’ I asked one fan, from Riyadh, the first flight to do so in sensing perhaps a geopolitical over two years. The UAE team chose to statement behind the celebration. ‘No,’ fly to Doha via Kuwaiti airspace, a he cautioned me. ‘If Saudi score, you gesture that led regional analysts to will see the same reaction!’ speculate that Qatar is closer to making The fan’s comment was a up with Saudi than it is with UAE. reminder that, by focusing only on government or state-level actions, On the field social scientists can miss certain dynamics of cultural events. The I attended the opening match Arabian Gulf Cup was not solely about between Qatar and Iraq, excited to see geopolitical maneuvering. Dating back how the expanded tournament would to 1970, the competition is a celebration work. There were no boos or jeers upon of regionalism as much as a crucible of the unfurling of the Saudi, Emirati or competition for Gulf nations. In the fans’ Bahraini flags — something that celebrations for any side that scored, surprised me, given my previous we can glimpse another, more tacit experience of the hyper-nationalist and political gesture – eschewing the partisan crowds in England, where I narrative of disagreement propagated grew up, and in Turkey, where I have by governments for one of unity with ‘all spent many years researching local of our Gulf brothers’. football culture. “Everyone is welcome The group stages rattled along. to Doha for the championship,” said the Yemen were poor, Oman and Kuwait a Qatari fan sat next to me. “All of our Gulf bit unlucky. In the first-round brothers. Even the blockading showdown, Qatar beat the UAE to set countries. We hope for an end, up a semi-final clash with none other because we don’t like it like this”. than Saudi Arabia. The game started the The tickets for the eagerly- tournament with a shock, as Iraq beat anticipated match vanished as soon as Qatar 2-1. The Iraqis in the crowd were they went on sale. The online website very excited, waving flags, running up ground to a halt. There were long lines and down the stairwells and chanting in all the malls — populated in equal loudly. The Qatari fans merely looked numbers by Qataris and expats. The on with amusement. game was a close-fought 1-0, Saudi The following evening I joined a Arabia defending tenaciously and Qatar thinner crowd as Kuwait played Saudi unable to break them down, despite a Arabia. Whilst the Saudi football team plethora of chances. The Bahrain- had come to Doha, few fans had made Saudi final was equally close, settled by

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Gulf Insights Nº 14 – January 2020 a Mohamed Al Romaihi flick on a students, as well as guest scholars, and second-half counterattack. they can be between 1,200 to 1,500 The Arabian Gulf Cup words. breakthrough has kindled new hope All articles published under “Gulf among both fans and football officials Insight” series have been discussed that the blockade will be over by the internally but they reflect the opinion time of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. “The and views of the authors, and do not problem between the nations is from reflect the views of the Center, the above,” one Saudi fan told a Qatari TV College of Arts and Sciences or Qatar reporter a fortnight after the event. “The University. Qatari people are good. We are brothers”. I have heard similar sentiments about Saudi Arabia from Qatari fans. When it put itself forward in 2010, Doha branded its bid for the first Middle East World Cup as a chance to bring the region closer together. The blockade had made that idea seem all but impossible. But after the Gulf Cup thaw Qatari officials are stressing the ability of football to rebuild bridges. Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Development and Legacy, the organization tasked with organizing and running the 2022 FIFA World Cup, said that the Gulf Cup had “a special place in our hearts”. He added: “It showcases… the concept of building platforms that, despite differences, bring people together.”

About the authors:

Dr John McManus is a Visiting Scholar at the Gulf Studies Centre, Qatar University. He is an anthropologist whose work explores sport, migration and society in the Middle East

About the Gulf Insights series:

The "Gulf Insights" series is published by the Gulf Studies Center on a weekly base with the aim to promote informed debate with academic depth. The Gulf Insights are commentaries on pressing regional issues written by the GSC/GSP faculty, staff PhD and MA 4