AS one of the more cerebral, political and socially aware former footballers working in the media today, it would have been no great surprise if Pat Nevin had politely declined to attend Qatar 2022.
The World Cup might be the biggest and best tournament in the beautiful game and Nevin may well have covered every one of them since France ’98 some 24 years ago.
These finals have, though, been mired in controversy from the moment that FIFA decided, amid widespread and well-founded accusations of bribery and corruption, to award them to the Gulf state way back in 2010.
The host nation’s myriad human rights abuses – not least their mistreatment of migrant workers and criminalisation of the LGBT community – led to calls for Qatar 2022 to be boycotted.
Yet, Nevin, the former Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Scotland winger, was always eager to travel to the Middle East and formulate his own opinion rather than be told what to believe by the thought police.
The BBC Radio 5 Live summariser has found doing so to be both eye-opening and illuminating.
“All the noise around about the tournament is nothing new,” he said. “This is my seventh World Cup and there have been issues with all of them, with Brazil, with South Africa, with Russia.
“I wanted to come out and see what it is like for myself rather than have people tell me about what it is like. I have done that with every country I have ever been to.
“I have no complaints about anyone who dislikes the concept. That is a perfectly reasonable position to adopt. You can’t get away from the fact that in Qatar they have what I would say is a different religious outlook rather than a regime or a culture. It is very, very difficult for us to accept. We come from a completely different viewpoint.
“But the people who I have met have all been nothing less than friendly. Organisational wise, it has been faultless. The fan experience and the media experience has been amazing. And the football has been fantastic. I would be lying if I said it hadn’t been wonderful.”
Not that Nevin has been blind to the serious underlying issues which have caused so much disgust, outrage and unhappiness. “The stadiums have cost them, not just in money, but in lives as well,” he said.
Plans by the captains of several European nations to wear “OneLove” armbands at matches, a gesture designed to promote inclusion and condemn discrimination of any kind, were abandoned when it emerged referees would show them yellow cards.
Fans entering stadiums have also had rainbow-coloured apparel confiscated from them by security staff despite FIFA assurances that would not be the case. Nevin has seen how those actions have backfired spectacularly.
“The LGBT thing has certainly been prominent,” he said. “Players have not been allowed to wear armbands, supporters have had hats and wristbands taken off them. But that has just given the LGBT cause even more publicity. They have had extraordinary publicity as a result.”
Homosexual acts are illegal in Qatar and can result in imprisonment and even, although there are no known cases of capital punishment being enforced judicially, death.
Nevin has spoken to the native people face to face during his time at the World Cup and received their perspective on Islamic Sharia law.
“Their attitude is ‘our culture is different from your culture, when we come to your country we don’t tell you how to behave’,” he said. “Somebody asked me ‘isn’t it the case that most of your religions believe that being gay is a sin?’ To be honest, I have seen more men and women holding hands here than I do back in the United Kingdom.”
Despite the negative news stories which these finals have generated around the globe in the past few weeks, Nevin has enjoyed the matches he has worked at for Radio 5 Live greatly and has been pleased that the participating teams and their supporters have been able to as well.
“The Iran match against the United States was very interesting geopolitically,” he said. “I was at the last game between them at France ‘98. It was widely expected it to be hateful and tense, but it just wasn’t.
“All the fans were mingling and behaving. There is next to no segregation before and during games. It’s outstandingly safe and there is a really nice atmosphere at games.”
There have certainly been many memorable encounters for spectators to savour. Has any World Cup ever produced as many shocks as Qatar 2022?
Argentina were beaten by Saudi Arabia, Germany and Spain both lost to Japan, France were defeated by Tunisia, Denmark suffered a reverse at the hands of Australia, Belgium were humbled by Morocco and Brazil were overcome by Cameroon during the group stages.
Belgium, Denmark and Germany, three countries who many pundits and punters had tipped as potential winners before the tournament got underway, all failed to progress to the knockout rounds.
Nevin, who watched Morocco beat Spain on penalties in Al Rayyan on Tuesday evening and reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history, has relished the upsets as much as any fan and has no sympathy for the celebrated sides who have crashed out.
“The United States came out and had a go,” he said. “Cameroon were very, very aggressive. Their match against Serbia was an absolute classic. Iran were phenomenal against Wales. Nobody expected Australia to go through. But the pace they played at was amazing.
“It’s hard for the European teams. A lot of their players have been playing in the best leagues as well as at a high level in Europe. Rival sides who have players who will run all day long are very hard to play against even if they have lesser players.
“But in football when you are a player you deal with it. I played in some strange places in my life. Wherever you are and whenever you are there, you deal with it. You don’t moan and complain about it.”
Denmark, who topped Scotland’s qualifying section, have possibly been the biggest disappointments. The Euro 2020 semi-finalists failed to win a match and finished bottom of Group D. Nevin suspects their build-up was partially responsible for their insipid showings.
Kit manufacturer Hummel produced toned-down pro-human rights kits – including a black, or “colour of mourning”, strip in honour of the migrant workers who died during construction work - for the Red and Whites.
“The Danes were very, very dull,” said Nevin. “There were lots of issues. They were amongst the most upset about having to come and play here. They didn’t want to come. In Denmark, there was a very negative attitude to their involvement.
“With the quality they had they should have gone through. But they had no creativity. They relied totally on Christian Eriksen. They were very, very predictable. Belgium were exactly the same. But teams don’t last forever at international level.”
The 28-times capped internationalist, who featured in two games at Euro ’92 in Sweden, is optimistic the future is bright for Scotland even though his homeland, who lost to Ukraine in the rescheduled play-off semi-final at Hampden in June, have not been involved once again.
“It is a real shame Scotland aren’t here,” he said. “We were very, very competitive in our qualifying campaign and beat Denmark in our last game. We wouldn’t have been out of place in Qatar. I have seen a lot of teams who we could have stood toe to toe with.”
Nevin admitted that will be relieved when the tournament returns to its traditional slot in the football calendar. “I have nothing against the World Cup coming to the Middle East,” he said. “But it’s a joke that we are here mid-season. I hope it never happens again.”
He will not be disappointed if the next World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico in two years’ time is as memorable as Qatar 2022 has been both on and off the park.
“Every World Cup I have been to has had its own special things which have been very, very good,” said Nevin. “I couldn’t say which one was the best. They have all been different and good in their own ways. Even Russia 2018! I loved Russia. I have enjoyed Qatar.
“This World Cup has felt very safe. As I say, the fans have all mixed. For me, that has been the perfect antidote to all of the negativity. There are so many different beliefs and ideologies, but there is a real respect and understanding.
“I do get that there are many things people will dislike and disagree with. But I have seen the power that football has to bring people together in Qatar.”
