The Qatar World Cup is just nine months away, which is both good and bad news for Fatma Al-Nuaimi, the communications director for the local organizing committee.
“I’m excited because, you know, you always have these things on paper. Now you’re seeing things coming into reality,” Al-Nuaimi said over breakfast Tuesday in a quaint Los Feliz diner. “But I’m having this mixed emotion because I do have an international team working with me. And I’m not going to have the same team together. This is the saddest part.”
Al-Nuaimi isn’t the only one experiencing mixed emotions as the first World Cup to be played in the Middle East approaches. Because while the Qataris, who have had 12 years to plan for the event, are promising the most fan-friendly tournament in history, the rest of the world isn’t so sure.
