A Polish family heaped praise on Qatar for the mellifluous handling of the World Cup, particularly for the Hayya Card system, and urged fans coming from across the world to take a deeper dive into Qatar’s nature and culture.
"My feedback about Hayya is positive, it is easy to acquire and use both online and in the physical form, and my friends didn’t experience any problems too," said Pawel Kulaga, vice chairman Qatar Poland Business Council.
Flying back to Qatar from a business trip on the opening day, the situation at the Hamad International Airport (HIA) and in the Qatar Metro seemed well-managed, said Kulaga, who hope to see Poland meet Croatia in the final, which will be played on December 18.
As many as 10,000 Polish fans are reportedly in Qatar to cheer for their country, which is in the Group C.
Anna Kulaga, his wife, said the fan zones that Qatar has made for the World Cup offered more attractions.
"We live in Lusail Marina area next to the promenade, where I usually walk with our sons in the morning," she said, adding the city has been made beautiful and is truly up to the global expectations.
About the criticisms levelled against Qatar, Pawel Kulaga indicated those would have its natural decay.
"I hope Qatar will show the world how friendly and interesting a country it is and the citizens and expats will be proud of what they achieved together," he said, adding it was not easy with all the construction works (during the construction phase), but the outcome is “amazing”.
“Doha and the other cities are looking beautiful and I’m happy all of this will stay after the event to be enjoyed by residents of Qatar," he said.
Highlighting that 10 years ago Poland along with Ukraine had organised the UEFA European Football Championship in 2012; he said it was a great struggle too and not everything worked as planned, but eventually, it was a great success for both nations and mostly the positive memories stayed.
"The Middle East and Arabia itself are fascinating places, so I would encourage fans coming to watch football, to take a deeper dive into Qatar’s nature and culture, to plan a visit to the inland sea, Zekreet or Old Souq Al Wakra, which personally are my favorite spots in the country," he said.
Asked what is his prediction on the 2022 World Cup winner; he said "Poland has Robert Lewandowski so everything is possible. I’d like to watch the final match between Poland and Croatia, the country, where I like to spend holidays and which plays some really good football."
Kulagas enjoying the festivities in Qatar
