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The World Cup in a smaller place than Dublin - the Irish in Qatar

There is no shortage of opinions on the World Cup in Qatar.

Few believe it should ever have been awarded to what is effectively a one-city state a sixth the size of Ireland. There have been multiple allegations surrounding the bidding process organised by FIFA, the long-tainted world football governing body.

There are also justified concerns over the oil and gas-rich absolute monarchy’s treatment of LGBT people and the migrant workers that built its stadiums. These have been covered in-depth by RTÉ Sport.

But the tournament is going ahead and the world, apart from those boycotting, will be watching.

There are an estimated 3,000 Irish people living in Doha and we wanted to hear what life was like there for Irish football fans.

One of those is Ronan Kelly, a Derry man who has lived in the Middle-Eastern state for 10 years. He co-manages the Qatar Irish football team with Dublin native Niall Keogh.

They play against other mostly expatriate sides – they are the reigning champions of a Four Nations tournament with England, Scotland and Wales – and have had talent of the likes of former Sligo Rovers FAI Cup-winning goalkeeper Ciaran Kelly in their ranks.

"It’s a good standard of football," says Kelly, which he believes is largely due to the presence of a large number of Irish teachers.

"They all come out here because it’s easier to get a first teaching job out of college and they can get a decent salary, tax-free, and get their accommodation paid for.

"They can save some money so it’s an attractive option for a lot of young teachers, and that means there are very strong GAA and soccer teams."

They also put out two club teams – Alba and Caledonia – originally set up by Scots that compete in league competitions.

Their league is currently

Read more on rte.ie