One direct flight from Riyadh to Doha was the main issue before the 24th Gulf Cup kickoff.
Onboard were the Saudi national team players who took part in an unusual flight. It was the first direct flight from Saudi Arabia to Qatar after more than two years of air blockade.
Only two months ago, Saudi Arabia’s participation in the tournament was in doubt, as well as other teams that considered to boycott the Gulf Cup. All part of an ongoing diplomatic conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Since 2017, there is a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and a coalition of nations, led by Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudis, Qatar violated cooperation agreements with the other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) members and supported terror. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have also joined the decision to sever diplomatic relations with Qatar.
This act also affected other issues, including football. Since 2017, the Saudis banned the broadcast of the leading Qatar-based channel beIN Sports. Moreover, they started to make a local version of the channel that presented the same content with the logo "beoutQ", as a reference for Qatar. FIFA, UEFA and other football governing bodies have already made a statement against the channel, but the Saudis are still broadcasting it.
The continuous situation also affected previous tournaments. The 23rd Gulf Cup was moved from Kuwait to Qatar after FIFA suspended Kuwait. In the months leading to the competition, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain have threatened that they may boycott the tournament if it will be played in Qatar. Only three weeks before the kickoff, FIFA has lifted Kuwait's suspension, the decision to move the tournament was reverted, and the boycott threats were pulled.
This year began with more incidents that proved how deep the crisis really is. While the UAE hosted the Asian Cup in last January, Qatar has played against Saudi Arabia in the group stage and later against the UAE in the semi-finals. The match against Saudi Arabia was a sign of the following actions. The local fans booed the Qatari national anthem, and the Saudi players refused to shake hands to their rival.
The semi-final against the UAE was much more hostile. In front of the home crowd, the shouts against the Qataris were louder. Before the match, there were reports against the eligibility of Qatar's players to represent the country, including the leading striker, Almoez Ali, who was born in Sudan. When he scored one out of four of Qatar's goal in that match, the crowd started throwing shoes to the field in protest.
Boycott threats were also part of the Gulf Cup's current edition. Last month, the Qatari FA announced the tournament schedule. Only five teams were shown, while Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain decided not to take part in the tournament. The idea was to play the tournament in a round-robin system, without a final.
On November 12, the UAE Football Association announced that they would participate in the tournament after they received "a new invitation from the Arab Gulf Cup Federation." Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also made the same announcement. The teams were drawn again, this time in the old format of two groups of four teams, and a scheduled final to be played in the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
It was impossible to prevent a political clash in the group stage, and the unlucky team to be drawn with Qatar was the UAE. Almost a year after their match in the Asian Cup semi finals, Qatar will have a chance to make a hostile atmosphere in Doha. There is no doubt that the Gulf Cup is going to be more political than ever.