Qatar's Football Journey: From First Games on Sand to Hosting the World as Asian Champions

Qatar has no football history, or so the critics say. In this moderated lecture, Doha-born journalist and author Matthias Krug debunks that myth by telling the inside story of the country’s most cherished football and sporting moments and players over the past six decades.

Krug expressed, “Qatar has become a capital of world sports which will host global football fans in 2022. So in order to gain a full understanding of this development it is important to look at the history and where this rapid development and incredible sports vision has come from.”

Speaker: Matthias Krug is an author and journalist who was born and raised in Qatar, where he lives with his family. Matthias has written extensively about football, society, politics and culture for over 18 years for some of the biggest publications around the world, including for the BBC, CNN, ESPN, The Huffington Post, The Irish Examiner, Al Jazeera English, 442, El Pais, Arts Monthly Australia, and many others. His most recent book is titled Journeys on a Football Carpet, published by HBKU Press in Qatar, won awards at the International Book Awards and Living Now Awards. His creative short stories have been published in literary magazines across numerous countries.

Moderator: Danyel Reiche, Visiting Associate Professor at GUQ.