Qatar has the distinction of being the only non-European side to reach the final of the Men’s World Handball Championship, when they finished as runners-up at the 2015 edition, losing to France in a close contest (22–25) on home soil.
According to IHF rules, to gain eligibility for a new national team, a player cannot have played for another nation for three years in an official match.[4][5] This allowed several foreign-born players, including Spanish-born Borja Vidal, Goran Stojanović and Jovo Damjanović from Montenegro, and Bertrand Roiné who previously played for France, to play for the Qatar team at the championship.
Head of the Qatar Handball Federation, Ahmed Mohammed Abdulrab Al Shaabi, acknowledged the policy in a statement in June 2013, saying "We're a small nation with limited human resources, so we had to bring players from outside in the past." He also announced an end to the policy at the time, adding however that they "[might] make an exception only in the case of an experienced goalkeeper."[6] In January 2014, Danish sports agent Mads Winther said he had met with "contacts involved with Qatar" regarding the possibility of naturalising Danish players.
The practice was criticised by Austrian goalkeeper Thomas Bauer after his team's loss to Qatar in the quarter-final, saying "It [felt] like playing against a world selection team" and "I think it is not the sense of a world championship."[7] At a press conference during the championship, Qatar head coach Valero Rivera declined to comment on the matter.[7] Spanish player Joan Cañellas did not think it was an issue, saying "If they can do it, why not."[5]
After the controversial semi-final against Poland, and reaching the final as a result, the practice was even more criticised, with players such as Danijel Šarić having now represented four different national teams.[8]
The referees were widely accused of being one-sided in favour of Qatar during its biggest success, 2nd place in the 2015 World Championship. Especially at the last-16 encounter against Austria,[10][11][12] the quarterfinal against Germany[10][13][14] and the semi-final against Poland.[15][16][17][18] After the final whistle, the Polish players showed their disgust by sarcastically applauding the three referees.[19]
^"Player Eligibility Code"(PDF). ihf.info. International Handball Federation. p. 5. Retrieved 29 January 2015. They shall not have played in any national team of another country in the three years preceding their first appearance in the national team in an official match.
