The ongoing Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup has gone "well enough," according to Barney Ronay of the London GUARDIAN. There has already been one Blockade Derby -- Qatar beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the group stages. Some "booing aside," the game "passed off without rancour," although it is this "lack of obvious fire, and indeed any overwhelming public interest, that has been a concern." Crowds have been "spare to middling." Five thousand watched Iran play its opening game against Yemen in the 40,000-capacity Bin Zayed stadium. Some fans have reported being asked by officials to "move to seats directly in line with the TV cameras," while there have been "unconfirmed reports of mass ticket giveaways." Otherwise, as a "regional dry run" for Qatar 2022, it has "looked to be a fun and occasionally sparky tournament." Temperatures have "hovered manageably" between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. Of concern is the "way this has all bubbled away largely unnoticed" beneath Europe’s "steamrollering" winter club program. As the "clock ticks down there is as yet no solution to the logistical problem of what happens to all this scheduled football" during the World Cup winter of November and December '22 (GUARDIAN, 1/28).
UGLY SCENE: In London, Lawrence Ostlere reported the Asian Cup semifinal between the UAE and Qatar was "marred by unrest in the stands," as UAE supporters booed the Qatari national anthem and "threw shoes at Qatar’s players." Qatar won 4-0 in a match, dubbed "El Gasico," between two Middle Eastern states "at the heart of tension in the region" (INDEPENDENT, 1/29).