A stroll down the impressive Corniche area of Doha sees you met with the lapping Persian Gulf to one side and huge, dominating skyscrapers on the other. This is the image of Doha the country wants people to see. An Instagram dream. Perfect blue lapping water with engineered modern masterpieces dotted around in a show of economic strength.
Along the seven-mile stretch of promenade (not unlike Mumbles in the summer but without the steelworks in the background) tournament organisers have placed benches and backdrops specifically for social media opportunities. This is the ultimate superficial World Cup. And it does look good, at least on the surface.
But you only have to walk a few steps off the promenade to find a slightly more desperate sight, the one organisers would rather the world didn't focus on.
