Commentator Martin Jacques once famously proclaimed that the World Cup is not just a great global sporting event but also something that is inscribed with much deeper cultural and political importance. Jacques’ notion has found new meaning following the Qatar FIFA World Cup, where millions of fans rekindled their love and passion for the enthralling sport of football. Behind the veil of fanfare, festivities, and footballing action was an entire system at work to safeguard and secure the interests of all parties. In a game often marred by hooliganism and skirmishes when tensions run high, security takes utmost precedence. Transnational collaborations, effective technology adoption, and over 50,000 trained people helped Qatar set strong precedents for future World Cup hosts. Here are seven factors that defined the country’s foolproof security at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
- Military-grade security
The Qatar FIFA World Cup came at a unique geopolitical juncture when countries faced multilateral threats due to the changing global order. There was an apparent display of “tall poppy syndrome” — the phenomenon where people sabotage those who have achieved notable success — among nations across the globe. So, hosting an event of the FIFA World Cup’s calibre called for nothing less than military-grade security. For its part, right after winning the bid to host the event, Qatar had proactively struck arms deals to fortify its arsenal. Accordingly, sophisticated weapons such as the Eurofighter Typhoons and NH90 Helicopters were procured in the run-up to the event. Those, combined with state-of-the-art drones, audio-visual sensors, and C-UAS systems, enabled Qatar to set up robust security measures for the event.
- Infallible cybersecurity
While the geopolitical climate remains tense globally, the adversarial actions are unlike what they were decades ago when countries engaged in direct conflict. Today, many are largely geared toward non-kinetic warfare, mainly cyberattacks. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the host Russia recorded a whopping 25 million cyberattacks. So, anticipating such threats, Qatar emphasised cybersecurity through dedicated teams, effective strategies such as MFA and ZTNA, and a “never-trust-always-verify” approach. The results have been exemplary.
- Technology at the core
Qatar’s innovation-driven approach to socioeconomic growth has led to commendable technology adoption in recent years. The uptake continued in the security aspect of the event, too, as Qatar implemented cutting-edge technologies in the stadiums, visitor management, and surveillance. Notably, the creation of digital twins of the stadiums enabled centralised monitoring of security protocols, as well as indoor air quality, fire safety, and crowd control. The “Hayaa Card” process, which documented biometric data of visitors, was integrated with facial recognition technologies to help the centralised command centre readily identify persons of interest if need be. Even the indigenous drone surveillance technologies enabled teams at the command centre to have a bird’s eye view of security protocols.
- Multinational involvement
In different capacities, multiple nations aided Qatar’s security efforts for the World Cup. Turkey deployed about 250 troops and a small warship under the Operation World Cup Shield agreement with Qatar, whereas Pakistan is said to have sent about 4,500 army personnel for the event. France sent about 191 “gendarmes” troops, de-miners, and sniffer dogs. On the technical front, the UK’s RAF and Royal Navy and the US Armed Forces have contributed through training, planning, and strategic advice. Likewise, Germany, Finland, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Spain have contributed through diplomatic and military channels, and, in doing so, sent a resounding message on the need for collaborative global efforts.
- Hands-on resident involvement
While inviting foreign troops and agencies, Qatar also ensured the hands-on involvement of locals in the security efforts. About 1,200 Qataris were recruited over the last few years, and rigorous training was provided after 2017. Although the pandemic disrupted training briefly, Qatar managed to make good headway after a few months through timely crisis management, inoculation drives, and methodical resumption of activities. Qatari Police Commanders and Police Officers were instrumental in navigating the pandemic headwinds, as well as subsequent World Cup training and planning.
- Rooted in scientific models and global frameworks
Today, the broad consensus in the developing world is that policing must start from the self, meaning officers must unfailingly operate within the legal framework. Subscribing to that school of thought, Qatar prioritised compliance with global frameworks and scientific models pertaining to crowd safety and control, crisis response, and event security. The training was based on such models. Notably, Qatar focused on human rights and non-discrimination, in accordance with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (BPUFF), the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials (CCLEO), the Gold, Silver, Bronze (GSB) Leadership Command model, and the PLAN (proportionality, legality, accountability and necessity) model. It is safe to say that such laborious efforts bore fruit, as the World Cup concluded with no untoward incidents.
- Legacy lives on
Qatar’s forward-thinking worldview is truly exemplified by its decision to continue the GSB Leadership Command model and the human rights PLAN model beyond the World Cup, in domestic policing. Such measures are unprecedented among the host nations in the 92-year history of the FIFA World Cup. While Qatar’s legacy plan for the new stadiums and other purpose-built infrastructure is commendable, the move to institutionalise globally recognised and accepted frameworks in domestic security is extraordinary, to say the least. In this regard, the leaders’ tireless efforts cannot be praised enough.
