Two-thirds of 2022 World Cup host Qatar don't care about football, new survey finds

Two-thirds of people living and working in Qatar did not attend a football match last year, a new survey published in the Pennisula newspaper has revealed.

The damning statistic is further embarrassment for the Gulf nation, who have endured their fair share of woe since being controversially handed the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Labour abuse claims were levelled against Qatar last year with Amnesty International alleging "human rights abuses", while the debate over whether the tournament should be moved to winter due to the extreme summer heat rages on.

A new survey by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics and Qatar Football Association questioned 1000 Qatari nationals and expatriates aged 24 to 35 years.

Among its most damning findings was that more than 50 percent of respondents who did not watch a live football match last year said it was because they were not interested in the game.

Intriguingly, of the other reasons given for not attending, more than 70 percent said it was for bad weather while 69 percent blamed traffic congestion.

Scheduling (60 percent), location of the stadiums (55 percent), “annoying spectators” (50 percent), and a lack of incentives to attend (77 percent) were also listed.

Meanwhile, worryingly for the domestic game, 50 per cent said the skill level on show in the Qatar Sports League was so poor it was not worth watching.

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Other findings showed that:

• About 67 percent said they did not have enough time to attend a stadium

• 60 percent were disappointed at the lack of local players in Qatari teams

• About 45 percent of women said the game was not suitable for female fans

• 65 percent complained about the services at stadiums including the lack of mosques

Hardly the findings Qatar's organising committee for the 2022 World Cup will have wanted to hear.