I'm on my way to Qatar!

The 2011 AFC Asian Cup is set to kickoff in a couple of days and now I am finally on my way from Germany via Dubai to the Qatari capital Doha and tomorrow morning I should be there. I will be working for radio and newspapers plus will also keep you all updated here on my blog and via my Twitter account @Arunfoot.

I really look forward to those two weeks in the Arab desert. Surely I am finally getting out of Germany after having experienced six weeks of snow and frost, but secondly and more importantly it is about the football, its time for Asian football.

I have seen a lot of Indian football live over the years, especially the Indian national team. But not that much of Asian football though I have seen teams like Japan, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Iran live in the past. Still for the first time I will get to see the best of Asia, 16 nations from across the continent, from close quarters which will be an experience in itself.

And I feel it does make a difference if you watch a match live at a stadium. There is a lot of off the ball action which you miss on television if you aren't at the ground, also interactions between coaches and players, and then I just love the atmosphere at football grounds. And I am very curious how the atmosphere will be at the matches in Qatar, a great mixture of cultures.

What also makes this trip so special is the fact that I on one side will be following closely my beloved Team India, but on the other side I get a first hand feel of Qatar, the nation which will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.


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