The biggest game of the European club calendar saw Spanish champions Real Madrid beating Italian counterparts Juventus 4-1 on Saturday, and the Qatari group gathered vital experience for the successful delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.
The SC team in Cardiff was made up of Thani al-Zarraa, in the Event Logistics department, Jassim al-Jassim (Fan Village), Khalid al-Naama (Media Operations), Ali Mahmoud (Commercial Operations), and Zachariah Joseph (Event Transportation).
“I am very proud to act as an ambassador for my country and the Supreme Committee, and extremely proud to have been officially requested by UEFA to join them in the delivery of this event after working with them during Euro 2016,” said al-Jassim in Cardiff.
“I believe this game, together with the World Cup final, is the most important match in the world. It is an honour to work with the highest level of professionals in the world when it comes to tournament delivery.”
He continued: “I learned how important the host city is. This experience will help me in understanding and implementing some of what I have seen. Everywhere in the city was either an activation or branding and promotion for the match.”
With Cardiff welcoming fans from Italy, Spain and across the world, the SC team worked in different areas to gather valuable operational experience.
“I worked with the logistics team to help and oversee their operations for the final here in Cardiff,” explained al-Zarraa. “It gave me useful experience, especially as I am managing Al Wakrah stadium which is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.”
“In the long run, our presence in Cardiff will help us to build knowledge of managing and operating mega sporting events.”
Secondment and observation programmes at major events have been a regular part of Qatar’s preparations for 2022, with Russia 2018 also forming a major focus as it is the last FIFA World Cup before the event comes to the Middle East for the first time four years later.
Meanwhile, al-Naama added further experience in the field of media operations after recently forming part of the LOC for the Emir Cup final in Qatar.
“Being here with our colleagues from UEFA adds to our experience and helps understand the high standards of organising this mega event. Working closely with decision makers helps us avoid and learn from any mistakes,” he said.
For Mahmoud, the experience gathered in Wales was a natural continuation of the organising committees he has worked on in Qatar over the past 18 months. He said: “I worked on events in Doha such as the AFC Under-23 Championships, Barcelona vs Al Ahli friendly, the Italian Super Cup final and the Emir Cup final. This was my first international experience with UEFA in the commercial operations team, which is a new area for me.”
He added, “Cardiff is a small city where you have the stadium at the heart of the city. The commercial operation team was friendly and helpful. Being part of the Champions League final team is a dream come true.”
Meanwhile, the small size of the city was also a focus for Joseph, who observed transportation procedures for the final in order to feed back his experiences to colleagues in Qatar.
“I worked with the UEFA event transport lead for the final in Cardiff,” he said. “The city is in many ways very similar to Doha. Understanding the event operations in a small compact city similar to Doha for one of the biggest football matches was very beneficial and relevant to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.” (SC.qa)