Mahmoud Khaled/EPA, via Shutterstock
ABU DHABI — Qatar forward Almoez Ali joined a small group of record-makers at the Asian Cup last week, becoming only the fourth player in the tournament’s history to score four goals in a single game. His exploits in his country’s 6-0 thrashing of North Korea were cheered by just one fan sporting the Gulf country’s colors.
That was one more than team officials expected.
That is because the Asian Cup is being played this month in the United Arab Emirates, one of the main players in the punishing Saudi Arabia-led blockade of Qatar that began in 2017 and already has led to inconveniences for visiting Qatari officials, visiting Qatari journalists and, clearly, given their tiny number, visiting Qatari fans.