Saudi House in Doha Provides World Cup Fans with Cultural and Entertainment Experience

Saudi House Provides World Cup Fans with Cultural and Entertainment Experience

Assistant secretary-general for strategic affairs at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) Majed Al Sahib stressed that the activities of the Corniche-based Saudi House provide a cultural, social, tourism, and entertaining experience for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 fans.

In his interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Sahib said that the SAFF has set up an interactive zone under the name "Saudi House" at the heart of Doha on the Corniche to receive fans from all nationalities, promote the Saudi national culture, and provide the support for the Saudi team.

He added that the Saudi House activities zone provides an integrated cultural, social, tourism, and entertainment experience, especially since the Saudi culture and lifestyle inspire the Saudi House's design, yet with a sporty touch.

He indicated that the Saudi House zone, which continues on the Doha Corniche till the end of the World Cup, provides fans with interactive cultural experiences related to Saudi food, Arabian coffee, authentic Arab values and customs. He pointed out the Saudi House zone stretches over an area of about 18,000 square meters and includes more than 21 activities in 10 pavilions.

The assistant secretary-general for strategic affairs at the SAFF underlined the presence of a huge stage at the Saudi House zone, which includes giant screens to broadcast the World Cup matches, in addition to live concerts by Saudi artists. During the past few days, the Saudi House saw concerts for the artists Moudi Al Shamrani, Rashed Al Fares, and Bader Al Shuaibi, where they performed songs for the Saudi team and their most famous songs. In addition, the Saudi House also witnessed various artistic events of a Saudi cultural nature, such as Saudi folklore, medley, and other interesting and interactive arts and events.

He explained that through the Green Falcons Museum, it is possible to learn about the Saudi Pro League "Roshn League," take photos with the original league cup and learn about the stages of its development through screens equipped for that, as the Saudi League is one of the most prominent Arab leagues and millions of fans in Saudi Arabia and the region follow its stars.

He stressed that the Saudi House visitors enjoy the experience of playing football virtually with top players at the dream pavilion through augmented and virtual reality technology, in addition to the experience of virtual photographing with the Saudi squad, indicating that the visitors have the opportunity to shop at the Green Falcons store, which contains the official team jersey, as well as Saudi team flags and slogans.

The Saudi House at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is an extension of Saudi's presence during their World Cups participation through exhibitions and museums to introduce the West and the world to the Saudi identity and culture, in addition to introducing the Saudi and Gulf values and customs.

The Saudi team played three matches within the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C collecting three points from 1 win and two losses. The Saudi team won their first match over Argentina (2-1) but lost their following matches against Poland (0-2) and Mexico (2-1), leaving the World Cup from the group stage.

Majid Al Sahib added that along with the events of Saudi House, the "Qadam" Initiative was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports in support of the Saudi team and to highlight the Saudi presence, in addition to creating a reaction with the fans through the 6th participation of the Saudi football team in the world cup finals, adding that the initiative included 5,000 fans who represent all clubs of Saudi Arabia which are amounted to 172 clubs and co-opting the fans of the Saudi team in the tournament.

He pointed out that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has taken care of their transportation to Doha and granted the Saudi clubs full discretion to select the fans through the fan links who are equally distributed among the clubs, adding that the initiative has numerous dimensions which highlight the unprecedented volunteering of the Saudi club with directives, unlimited interest from the Saudi leadership and is backed by the Ministry of Sports and Saudi Arabian Football Federation, adding that Saudi Arabia has a powerful sports infrastructure, along with cultural, natural and civilized treasure qualifying it to host global tournaments.

He stressed that through this initiative the Saudi people express their culture, heritage and love for football, albeit they have different tendencies toward sports, adding that the Saudi fans are unified in backing their country's team strongly, pointing out that the initiative aims to create a unique cheerleading experience to further highlight the Saudi sport street that has the awareness of the civilized behaviors that must be upheld.

The Assistant secretary-general for strategic affairs in the Saudi Federation pointed out that through the Saudi House events and the "Qadam" Initiative the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia harnesses its potential to support its brothers in Qatar along with its international partners and is moving forward to have a successful tournament, which is something that promotes its international status, touching on the accommodation building of the Saudi fans in Doha, adding that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has coordinated with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) to find an appropriate place to accommodate a substantial number of fans in an independent site owing to the easy access, in addition to providing the essential services to them.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation sponsored the housing costs and booking process in cooperation with the Saudi national team fans council received the fans and provided services to them.

He pointed out the keenness of the Saudi Federation to rent a fleet of buses in Doha, and the number exceeded 100 buses, to transport the Saudi fans, whether to the Saudi House area or to and from the stadiums, pointing to the presence of frequent transportation buses for football fans from the Salwa crossing to Abu Samra port, which includes a fleet of 55 buses, each with a capacity of 49 passengers, provided by the Transport General Authority and the concerned authorities in the State of Qatar, to facilitate the travel of travelers free of charge to the State of Qatar to watch the World Cup matches.

(QNA)