Qataris not interested in football
Two-thirds of people in Qatar did not attend a football match last year, despite the country gearing up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
A survey undertaken by Qatar sports authorities also found that half of respondents who did not watch a live football match in 2013 said it was because they were not interested in the game.
According to a report in The Peninsula newspaper, the survey found that about 67% said they did not have enough time to attend a stadium, while 60% were disappointed at the lack of local players in Qatari teams and half said the skill level was so poor the competition was not worth watching.
About 45% of women said the game was not suitable for female fans, while a similar number said conservative families prevented them from attending with 61% blaming the country's conservative customs.
The survey by the Qatar Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, the , Qatar Football Association and the Sports Statistics Technical Committee questioned 1,000 Qatari nationals and expatriates aged 24 to 35 years as the country prepares to host the largest international football tournament in less than seven years.
It also revealed the country's lack of services at football stadiums, with 65% complaining that there were no mosques, and insufficient eateries and parking, while about one-third were concerned about security at stadiums.
Other reasons for not attending a football match included the schedule (60%), location of the stadiums (55%), "annoying spectators" (50%), bad weather (more than 70%) traffic jams (69%) and a lack of incentives to attend (77%).
Almost 70% said they did not agree with the idea of paying to watch sport.
The survey was undertaken to investigate the low attendance at football matches, as the Arabian Gulf state sets about spending US$200 billion in building infrastructure to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
2nd April 2013 - QATAR TO HOST FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT FOR MIGRANT WORKERS
4th December 2013 - QATAR TO PROBE LOW ATTENDANCE AT FOOTBALL STADIA
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