End of Qatar's football project or just the start?

DOHA : The muffled anger from the fans was evident outside Al Thumama Stadium after Qatar's 3-1 loss to Senegal on Friday and hours later they were out of the World Cup to become the second host country to suffer that fate after South Africa in 2010.

Qatar has prepared for the finals since getting the hosting rights in 2010 by spending a reported $200 billion to put on a "gathering for all mankind", as the title of the opening ceremony said, but it was all over for the team in 180 minutes.

"This whole team should be changed," a Qatar fan told Reuters outside Al Thumama stadium, without revealing her name.

In the tournament's opening match, the 2019 Asian Cup winners did not live up to expectations and conceded twice in the first half to lose 2-0 against Ecuador after a disappointing and shaky performance, with lots of fans leaving before the end.

The team may have paid the price for the Qatar FA's decision not to allow national team players to feature for their clubs in the local league this season and to devote themselves solely to preparations for the big event.

At times, fatigue and nerves were evident in Qatar's performances, as in the first minutes of the opening match when goalkeeper Saad AlSheeb would have cost his team an early goal had it not been for the intervention of VAR.

Qatar did not have a shot on target against Ecuador and that continued in the first half against African champions Senegal.

Some fans expected coach Felix Sanchez to make changes in the second half against Ecuador to help his team get back into the match but he only switched two players midway through the half and a couple near the end when it was too late.

Sanchez said after the Ecuador match that nerves had got the better of his team and that