On Thursday we went to a football match. It is the first time I have attended a game for around 15 years. That experience, seated with the Crystal Palace supporters at ‘the Dell’ in Southampton was amongst the least rewarding 90 minutes of my life.

The smell of cheap pasties, the uncomfortable seats and the incessant expletive rich  invective made it altogether unpleasant… but then it was a birthday treat for a son, so it was grin and bear it.

The experience at the Khalifa Stadium in Doha watching Spain against Uraguay in an international friendly was quite different.

It was pleasant 20C and not numbing cold. The ticket was 100QR or £17. The family crowd was well behaved. Nobody shouted abuse at the referee.

There were 4 goals which I think is the minimum number of times the teams need to score to keep my interest.

The 80 minutes passed quickly and enjoyably as we left 10 minutes before the end of the match to avoid the inevitable traffic jams.

If I am still here in 2022 then maybe I will go to the World Cup matches.