Tensions are rising at the Asian Cup as hosts UAE brace for a Cold War in the desert

Milos Degenek is a very popular man in the UAE right now. Indeed many are hailing him as a national hero.

The unlucky Socceroos defender was devastated after his stray back pass sent Australia spinning out of the Asian Cup, but for the UAE, and the tournament organisers, Degenek’s error saved them both from major embarrassments.

For the Asian Cup organisers, without the UAE’s presence, a semi-final between Qatar and Australia would have been lucky to draw four figures to the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.

And for the UAE government, the Whites 1-0 victory, achieved due to Degenek’s unfortunate error, meant escaping becoming the laughing stock of the Middle East — and the world.

The reason is diplomatic relations between the UAE and Qatar are at an all-time low, following on the UAE severing ties in June 2017, after the Qataris were branded supporters of terrorism.

Local media and tournament organisers have watched with mounting horror as The Maroons have made their way impressively through the tournament, scoring 12 goals and conceding none.

Qatar breezed through the pool stages defeating Lebanon 2-0, North Korea 6-0 and a surprisingly easy 2-0 triumph over highly rated Saudi Arabia

There were local hopes that plucky Iraq would stop the “nasty neighbours” in the round of 16, but The Maroons snuck through 1-0. It was the same score-line in the quarter-final when they shocked one of the pre-tournament favourites, South Korea.

The red faces were growing and if the Socceroos had sent the UAE packing while Qatar reached the final four, it would have led to a national day of mourning for the fiercely proud Emiratis.

Qatar’s progress has also made covering the tournament very difficult for the local media as they desperately try to avoid even mentioning the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts.

Indeed since the semi-final match-up has been announced many media outlets have been previewing the game without even mentioning who the UAE will be playing.

According to a local journalist covering the tournament for one of the three daily English language papers there has been no official instruction not to refer to Qatar, but coverage requires “careful management.”

Local media carry bare match results from Qatar’s games and when they do have to write something more substantial, they focus entirely on the other side.

Considering Qatar’s unbeaten run it’s been very odd to read and hear reports on their games that never even mention the winning team.

When the tournament began the absolute worse-case scenario for the host nation was an Iran v Qatar final — and we are now just two games away from that outcome. Indeed Team Melli taking on the Maroons is now the most likely decider.

But standing in the way are the brave Whites, who surprised everyone (including themselves) by somehow finding a way past the under-performing Socceroos.

It may not be quite the infamous “Blood in the Water” Water Polo match between Hungary and the USSR at the Melbourne Olympics, which took place in the backdrop of the Hungarian Revolution, but it’s not too far away either.

Back in 1956 Victorian police had to step in to stop a riot after a Russian player punched a Hungarian opponent but this time police won’t have to keep fans apart as 99.9% of the people in the stadium will be supporting the UAE, at least publicly.

There are literally no Qatar fans at the tournament. When Qatar thrashed North Korea in the group stages the official crowd figure was 452, although people at the ground say it was closer to 100.

The official version is that Qatar fans were welcome to attend but they just haven’t come to support their team, and as for the Qatari journalists who were denied entry it was due to them applying for the wrong VISAs.

The Qatar team bus, unlike all other team buses in the tournament, is completely devoid of any insignia that would announce the inhabitants. Reportedly it looks like a “lorry”, which again officially is for “security reasons”.

It all makes for an intriguing match on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning 1am AET) when the Whites will play for the pride of the nation while the upstarts from Qatar will hope to increase the embarrassment.

It’s shaping up as a very Cold War in a hot desert.