Disappointed fans took being turned away largely in stride. Outside the venue, Qatari police, security guards and others guided the thousands away with giant foam fingers, bullhorns and blinking traffic control wands.
DOHA, Qatar — Authorities turned away thousands of fans Saturday night from a concert celebrating the World Cup beginning the next day in Qatar, revealing the challenges ahead for Doha as it tries to manage crowds in FIFA's most-compact tournament ever.
“We know that what the police say here goes,” said a 30-year-old trucker from Mumbai, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. He and his friends had got a rare day off from Hamad Port to walk 6 kilometers to the fan zone before being turned away.Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which oversees the World Cup, said in a statement to The Associated Press it was “absolutely delighted” with the opening of the Fan Zone.
That includes a vast new underground metro system that can whisk fans from the airport to matches. It has even closed schools for the month and urged residents to work from home. Saturday night, however, started much smoother as Friday is the mandatory day off for all workers in the country. Fewer people stolled the corniche as a massive fireworks show suddenly went off, illuminating Doha's glittering skyline to awed passersby.
AP journalists saw police on horseback at one point in the fan holding area, as well as one armored police vehicle parked outside nearby.
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