ust off the Corniche, the waterfront drag that runs along Doha’s bay to the city, stands the countdown clock, a digital hour glass that lets everybody know – in days, hours, minutes and seconds – how long there is to go until the big kick-off. It was in December 2010 that Qatar was awarded the right to host the 2022 World Cup and, if you rack your memory hard enough, you will still hear the gasps and howls of indignation from the conference hall in Zurich. It is rather closer now – 235 days a...

ust off the Corniche, the waterfront drag that runs along Doha’s bay to the city, stands the countdown clock, a digital hour glass that lets everybody know – in days, hours, minutes and seconds – how long there is to go until the big kick-off. It was in December 2010 that Qatar was awarded the right to host the 2022 World Cup and, if you rack your memory hard enough, you will still hear the gasps and howls of indignation from the conference hall in Zurich. It is rather closer now – 235 days a...