By Anand Holla

 

At 23 degrees on an electrifying Sunday afternoon, the Maracana stadium in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, was blessed with a near-ideal temperature to take in the final showdown.

About 7,000 miles away in Doha, around 4,500 spectators gathered at the football pitch-sized Aspire Zone Foundation fan zone set precisely at 23 degrees and powered by four giant LED screens, could literally experience that atmosphere as much as an open-air viewing venue could allow.

Fruity scents of sheesha wafted in the cool air that hummed with the collective energy of screaming, roaring, gasping, groaning football enthusiasts throughout the hard-fought, two-hour-long 2014 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Germany.

In the 30th minute, when Gonzalo Higuain thought he had redeemed his terrible miss just 10 minutes earlier, and fired a goal off a neat cross by Ezequiel Lavezzi, Argentine supporters at the fan zone erupted in a sea of screams and fist pumps.

The moment the assistant referee waved the flag to indicate offside, the ones sitting dumbstruck until then — the German fans, of course — leapt from their seats and burst into even louder cheers. This counterbalance of jubilation that traversed two extremes within five seconds best summed up the joy of catching the match live at this fan zone.

The first cheers though were reserved for the unveiling of the majestic-looking World Cup itself. As Gisele Bundchen and Carles Puyol walked into the field and unboxed the trophy before the match, the applause at the fan zone was perhaps, also to indicate that Qatar would be doing the same in eight years.

Close-ups of Lionel Messi drew the heartiest cheers, while thundering appreciation for Germany’s clever passes wasn’t muchless. All along, while one set of the audience cheered their favourite team’s shots on target, the other set rooted for the saves, and vice versa.

The record-attendance for the final — 4,500 is the number according to AZF officials — saw the fan zone turn into somewhat of a lively camping spot. Families, bachelors, babies in prams, excited children, and hoards of youth found which ever corner or angle they could manage to catch the action.

While most found chairs, some lucky ones got the cushy majlis seatings and some unlucky ones couldn’t get in, a good number soaked in the experience as merrily by lounging on the artificial grass that the whole venue was carpeted with.

At the heart of all comforts was the path-breaking open-air cooling technology, which the Supreme Committee (SC) for Delivery and Legacy is working on with stakeholders across Qatar, including AZF.

The FIFA World Cup 2014 has been a terrific opportunity for the technology to be tested at two venues — the other being the Katara fan zone that has a seating capacity of around 1,500.

While the cooling technology used at the AZF fan zone is being developed to use on training pitches and spectator walkways that will provide connectivity between various locations for World Cup 2022, the cooling setup tried out at Katara fan zone will allow for large public gatherings.

To keep the fans cool during the heated duel between Germany and Argentina, as with previous matches, the fan zone utilised a hybrid system of upper and lower jet delivery, which ensured a consistent cooling experience wherever someone was located within the fan zone.

The 21-25 degrees temperature that the venue maintained throughout the matches was achieved using only 45 per cent capacity of the cooling system. Moreover, a mechanical vapour compression cooling system was at play. This helped in both, reducing humidity within the fan zone, and also reducing energy consumption against a conventional mechanical system.

The efficiency with which the fan zone was organised, it wasn’t surprising that the audience had only nice things to say about the experience. From the car park to food to fun and games — there was a beeline for the instant photo booth and kids queued up at the face-painting stall — and even the cool Sennheiser earpieces given away for those who preferred listening to English commentary, there really was a lot to be satisfied about.

Collegians Mahmoud Shreidi and Canada-based Sarah Mohamed, for instance, seemed to be having a ball. “We are out here in the open,” Shreidi said, looking up at the sky, “and it’s cold. That’s unheard of in Qatar, and that too in July. So yes, we won!”

Mohamed said the success of the AFZ open-air cooling venue proves that Qatar can beat the heat during World Cup 2022 as well. “Besides, it’s a lively atmosphere here, an amazing opportunity to get together,” she said.

Bilal Iqbal, who with his friends, explored several options to watch the games outside home, called the AFZ fan zone as probably the best World Cup experience in Qatar. “The hotels were either too expensive or had small screens. The Katara fan zone had a bigger screen but lesser space, and there was no way of knowing in advance whether you would get in. In fact, we were turned away twice. Even getting in was a chore. The arrangements here, though, were excellent. The parking, the ticketing procedure, the temperatures were just right. There was enough space for everyone. I wish they had set this fan zone up right from the first round,” said Iqbal.

At one of the majlis seatings, a few ambassadors, too, reveled in the excitement. Sanjiv Arora, Indian ambassador to Qatar, said, “It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience the excitement of the final amidst such a large number of spectators in this superbly organised open-air cooling venue.”

When asked about who he was rooting for, he chose a diplomatic answer. “We are cheering for the game, the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship,” he said.

Next to him sat Chung Keejong, South Korean Ambassador to Qatar, who found the impressive video and audio quality as much a highlight as the lack of humidity. Keejong said, “I feel the four LED screens are critical in attracting such a large audience.”

The real force of such a massive crowd at AZF fan zone was undoubtedly felt when Germany’s super-sub Mario Goetze scored a goal on the 113th minute. That’s when the venue exploded with an ear-splitting wave of cheers and celebration.

But then, everything that happened on the last day of the fan zone was driven by celebration — of both the triumph of Germany in World Cup 2014, and of Qatar as a worthy host of World Cup 2022.