Corinna Kern/Reuters
DOHA, Qatar — To make it to the big game, the Saudi soccer fan resorted to unusual measures.
He first flew to Kuwait, where he told his parents he was going on vacation. Then he boarded a plane to Qatar, the site of a major soccer tournament this week. Officially, it was a forbidden journey: for over two years Saudi Arabia has led a strict diplomatic and trade embargo of Qatar, and its citizens are barred from traveling there.
But the subterfuge and secrecy employed by the fan, Majed al-Qahtani, 29, turned out to be unnecessary.