By Onochie Anibeze
JASSIN BIN HAMAD STADIUMc – A foreign sports journalist was heard thanking his colleague for advising him to wear a jacket as they moved to leave for the final of the prestigious Emir Cup here in Doha yesterday.

Summer has set in here in Qatar and the temperature at 37 degrees centigrade could rise up to 40 and sometimes above that.

That would inform anyone going for a game to dress light. But one may be mistaking for the venue is among the facilities Qatar showcased to prove that they could host the 2022 World Cup at summer.

They promised to install a cooling technology that could lower the stadium atmosphere between 18 to 20 degrees. The Jassin bin Hamad Stadium, the home of Al Sadd, has such cooling effect. And when the game started Saturday, the stadium atmosphere was 21 degrees centigrade but it was much colder at the media stand which was closer to the cooling effects.

Little wonder the journalist was grateful to his colleague. Again, the match was at 7pm when the temperature outside the stadium had dropped.

The match was great. The organisation and fanfare at the stadium added to the spectacle that was the Emir Cup. Two goals from Brazilian Silva popularly known as Muriqui in the 2nd and 76th minutes helped Al Sadd retain the trophy that they were winning for the 15th time.
They are a force here in Qatar and while they were savouring the victory Barcelona’s legend Xavi Harnendez was all emotions as he was playing his last match for the Spanish giants who were crowned champions after their 2-2 draw with Deportivo La Coruna at Nou camp yesterday. Xavi is joining Sadd and the fans can’t wait to see him play here.

Romarinho pulled one back for Al Jaish in the stoppage time and Al Sadd were handed the trophy by Emir H H Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad bin Kalifa Al Thani. The fireworks and the closing celebrations that followed appealed to some than even the match. But the match was equally entertaining. El Jasih hoped that they could dethrone the champions.

And being underdogs, they had some support although Al Sadd were at home and their fans were louder with some songs that sounded African. It was a befitting final spectacle that made a statement about the organisational abilities of a country preparing to host the World Cup. Interestingly, the 2022 event will now hold in winter, a great relief to those who had rightly feared that the vagaries of weather may deny fans the carnival nature of the World Cup