Unease surrounding Scotland’s friendly with Qatar extends beyond humanitarian issues. There is a basic football one, as well, with the game against a nation 97th in Fifa’s world rankings potentially harmful to Scotland’s seeding for the 2018 World Cup qualifying process.
Scotland had looked like securing a place in pot two for next month’s draw in Russia but even victory against Qatar on Friday in Edinburgh could have an impact, because of the visitors’ lowly status and the complexities of the Fifa system.
Gordon Strachan, though, is unperturbed. “The seeding makes no difference,” Scotland’s manager said. “Wales were sixth somewhere along the line. When we played Belgium, they were in the third pot the last time, and they suddenly became the fourth best team in the world.
“I don’t think between pots three and four, or two and three, there is all that much difference. It’s amazing how the teams can improve or get worse in two years or a year and a half. We played Croatia in the last round of World Cup qualifiers; at one point they were seeded third in the world and Belgium were seventh. And you had Serbia on top of that with their great players. So I don’t think it makes all that much difference.”
Strachan could also have pointed to Northern Ireland, who are on the verge of European Championship qualification despite being drawn from pot five. “People just put the facts in front of me and I work it from there,” added the Scotland manager of friendly opposition. “I don’t think it makes that big a difference.”
It was made plain before Strachan’s press conference he would be unwilling to address issues relating to Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers. Despite suggestions the game would be boycotted by Scotland fans, more than 13,500 tickets had been sold by Thursday lunchtime, a decent figure for an essentially meaningless match.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, stopped short of criticising the fixture when asked about it in parliament. “The decision on the match is one for the SFA and I respect the decision to go ahead with that match, just as I respect the decisions of any fans who choose not to attend,” she said.
This week the SFA said it was “important to separate this sporting fixture from the serious human rights issues emanating from Qatar”.
Strachan was slightly more forthcoming when asked about Fifa. “People always use the statement that footballers are role models,” he said. “It’s not rugby players, it’s not tennis players – it’s always football players. Well the same can be said of the executives who run the game. They should be role models as well. When we get role models in place, then football will be a better place.If we are going to use footballers as role models, then we must have the executives being role models as well.”
Scotland’s bigger picture relates to the Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday 13 June. Strachan smiled when admitting how his attitude towards non-competitive matches has eased with age.
“As a player, I hated them,” he said. “I think I got sent off five times in friendlies and once in 867 competitive games. That was as a player. As a manager it was a wee bit different. You always try to experiment and see things, even in pre-season, as a manager. But as a player I just thought everything was wrong about it.
“There was an edge missing, the referees were usually local referees who got on my nerves. I didn’t like them. I actually said to Howard Wilkinson once: ‘Don’t take me to Italy. I’m just in one of those moods. I don’t want to go. I’m 36. I’ve played so many games.’ Howard said: ‘But you have to go Gordon because the sponsors want you and Gary McAllister to be there’. Thirty six minutes I lasted and then I was sent off.”
Scotland (4-2-3-1, probable): Marshall; Whittaker, Hanley, Greer, Forsyth; Adam, McArthur; Ritchie, Naismith, Anya; Griffiths.
Qatar (4-3-3, possible): Lecomte; Musa, Kasola, Traoré, Yasser; Hatem, Elsayed, Siddiq; Ismail, Muntari, Mohamad.
Referee Sébastien Delférière (Belgium)
