Cup kicks off in a blaze of glory

AFC – DOHA, The 15th edition of the continent’s premier tournament got underway in Qatar on Friday with an awe-inspiring opening ceremony at the Khalifa Stadium that put on exclamation mark on the organisers vow that the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ would be the “best ever”.

The stadium lights dimmed but the darkness was only momentary as first hundreds of camera flashes from the packed to capacity terraces and then some light fireworks signalled the start of the ceremony.

In a first for a sporting event in Qatar, the crowd were invited to sing the country’s national anthem which the announcer proposed as a “very special gift for His Royal Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani.

And as the Emir entered, the spectators responded with an enthusiastic rendition of As Salam al Amiri before the spotlight shone on an elderly gentleman and child who addressed the Qatari ruler, praising him for his efforts in developing the nation.

It was a surprisingly low key and humble start to the opening ceremony of a major sporting event and was to give no hint of what was to come as a stunning laser light show that was more sci-fi than soccer followed.

With what appeared to be a light sabre borrowed from the Star Wars movies a light pitch was created, onto which the flags of the 16 competing nations were projected and while the biggest cheer was reserved for the introduction of hosts Qatar, a sizeable contingent from the Indian expat community made sure that the presence of the Bhangra Boys was felt.

A hypnotic laser and light display followed on the pitch while Doha’s sky was illuminated with a variety of phosphorescent hues as the ceremony ended with a crescendo of pyrotechnics.

After a ceremony like that….the pressure is now on the players to put on a show of their own!