Mo Farah on his new life in Doha, reliving 'beautiful' London 2012 and why Olympics will come to Middle East

Just after 9.30pm on Sunday night, Mo Farah’s neighbours might have started to question their initial enthusiasm about the new addition to their Doha community.

It was around then that Eberechi Eze completed his hat-trick in Arsenal’s 4-1 derby win over Tottenham.

Farah might be one of world sport’s most admired champions, but before all else, he's a diehard Gooner. His 10-year-old son Hussein, whose middle name might have been “Arsenal” but for a maternal veto, even has “Eze” on the back of his shirt. The Farah household is an Arsenal household – and on Sunday it must have been a noisy one.

“This could be our year. The team is looking strong,” Farah tells The National via Zoom, after revealing the time difference to the UK doesn’t deter him from trying to watch every single game.

Farah’s love of football is a big part of his life – it even played a serendipitous role in his decision to relocate from London to Doha earlier this year. “I blame England for that,” he says. “I went to watch the World Cup [in Qatar in 2022], England played the USA, and then I watched the semi-final, watched the final, took my kids out there. My family absolutely loved it and, for me, I've always said when I do stop running, I want to spend quality time with my family.

“It wasn't always the plan to go. [It wasn’t] ‘I'm in the UK, I want to move.' It just naturally happened and it's about being able to be happy and enjoy yourself.”

Farah’s move wasn’t without controversy. It was interpreted in some quarters as a verdict on the state of the UK. It’s a suggestion he rejects. He explains it was a decision based purely on a desire to give his children, a son and three daughters, the sort of normality it's hard to attain back home given his status as a British sporting and cultural icon.

Asked if he feels his motives for moving to the region were misunderstood, Farah says: “Not at all, you know, everybody can move, that's the world we live in. If that’s what suits, what makes a person happy.

“It's what I wanted to do. I've always said that when I do stop [running], I want to have quality time with my family. I was away six months of the year, away from them, and now it's about being able to give back to my kids, support them in whatever they want to do.

“So, again, if my kids are happy and they want to do something different, you just go out there and support them. But I'm enjoying myself. It's a lot easier, we can go down the street and I can be with my family, and I can do remotely what I do for my job.”

He says he is “proud to be British … proud to have grown up in the UK and have the support I did from the whole nation” during his illustrious career. “That's what makes me happy because, again, if it wasn't for all these people supporting you throughout your career, perhaps it would have been different,” he adds.

Life after athletics

Farah has been retired from running for two years and is enjoying the quiet life. Padel and amateur football keep him entertained. He might have spent his career dominating an entire generation of distance running rivals, but the closest he gets to competitive sport these days is when the Doha dads’ team needs some legs in midfield.

He finds other ways to keep busy, inclu