Best World Cup Ever: Why Did Western Fans Praise the World Cup in Qatar Against Their Governments’ Criticism?

Lola Hernandez, the American Fox News correspondent, expressed that she discovered that the negative images that were coming about Qatar before the World Cup were just fabrications. She summarized throughout these words her vision towards Doha during its coverage of the 2022 World Cup.

Hernandez’s testimony is similar to dozens of foreign media professionals and fans who came to Doha carrying negative propaganda promoted by Western media against Qatar in the weeks before the World Cup.

These foreigners expressed their shock at the atmosphere other than what they expected in Qatar, from the warm reception, hospitality, and tolerance, in addition to the quality of organization and the luxury of the stadiums, as most of them stated.

These testimonies were sufficient to refute the Western allegations against Qatar and the Arab World Cup held on its soil, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino described as “the best World Cup ever.”

 

Counter Shock

Germany was one of the countries most prejudiced against the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as politics were introduced in sports to consolidate ideas that oppose the values of Arab and Islamic societies.

Even the German national team, in its opening match against Japan, made a provocative move to the fans when its players covered their mouths in protest against Qatar’s ban on promoting homosexuality.

In the same vein, the German media went on, through channels and newspapers, to attack Qatar and its organization of the tournament, leaving no stone unturned but criticizing it and showing its negative aspects.

But what happened on December 3, 2022, was different, as the head of the German club Bayern Munich fans praised the Qatar World Cup and the wonderful organization he witnessed during his stay in Doha.

He assured the broadcaster of the German Das Erste channel that what he experienced in Doha are beautiful memories that will remain forever in his memory, stressing the need to respect the culture of others.

He added: “We were moving freely as if we were in any other country, and I told my friends that we are guests in this country and we must respect it, and in that way it went well.”

He continued: “Everywhere there was kindness and welcome from the citizens, and I went to the market with my friends, then Arabs came, and we were invited to food and drink coffee, and they told us that Germany is our friend, it was wonderful.”

He also talked about the atmosphere, saying: “One of the wonderful things is also the organization of the World Cup in one city, so we were able to get to know people from 32 countries.”

The broadcaster did not like the positive speech of the head of the Bayern Munich Fans Association, so he initiated him to ask about human rights and workers.

To the Fans head’s surprise, the announcer and his guests responded: “In our first visit with the fans representing the national teams, we raised these issues and talked about everything. They said that every worker who died is a loss.”

Then the announcer was shocked when he said: “But even in Germany, 6,000 workers have died in the last 10 years.”

 

Multiple Testimonials

In an interview with the Qatar News Agency QANE on December 9, 2022, the journalist of the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve, Daniel Vicente, expressed his admiration for the Qatari organization of the World Cup.

Vicente said that the organization of the World Cup is very good, and the opposite cannot be said. Everything is amazing. A small country, but it is large with its amazing facilities, landmarks and stadiums that are unique and close to each other.

He added that Qatar has succeeded in its bet through these achievements of advanced stadiums and a very organized tournament characterized by superior infrastructure.

French journalist Clement Anthony of the French sports newspaper L’Equipe also praised the impressive organization of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Anthony said that Qatar is a very developed country. I have visited various regions of Qatar and noticed the ease of movement on the roads. There is no crowding in the streets and everything is going well.

He explained that this is the opposite of what they expected before coming, that one country will host the World Cup in the presence of millions of fans, it will witness great crowding in its streets, and things will be complicated, but we found the opposite.

German volunteer Hubert Buhler, 76, spoke about the exceptional atmosphere of harmony and welcome in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

He praised the manifestations of the celebration of the fans together and the mutual respect between the fans of the first Arab-hosted edition of the World Cup.

On December 9, he said, in an exclusive interview with the Qatari Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy website, that he feels proud of his contribution to supporting the operations of the World Cup and enjoying wonderful times during his volunteer work in the tournament.

He mentioned that he volunteered in 4 previous editions of the World Cup, which are Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, and Russia 2018, in addition to the 2011 Women’s World Cup, but Qatar will remain an exceptional and different version for him.

He singled out his admiration for the generosity, hospitality, and friendly treatment of everyone he encountered in Qatar and their warm welcome to visitors to the country.

 

Exceptional Tournament

These and other testimonies broke the Western arrogance against the 2022 World Cup, which was held for the first time on Arab and Islamic lands, Qatar.

This was expressed by writer and former England national team player John Barnes in an article for The Times newspaper on November 29, 2022, in which he discussed Western criticism against Qatar.

Barnes said that times have changed, and it is no longer acceptable for Europeans to allow themselves to give lessons to the world and teach them what is wrong and what is right, and “feel they have the right to go to someone else’s country to ‘educate,’ ‘teach’ and ‘civilize inferior peoples and cultures,’ it doesn’t work anymore.”

He added that Qatar invited everyone to the World Cup finals, gay and non-gay, but it demanded that everyone respect its customs, culture, and laws, and this means not showing sexual orientation in public places. Every person is free in his life, but he must respect the country’s laws, whether he agrees to them or not.

Barnes stressed that mixing sports with politics, ethics, and religion always complicates matters.

For his part, Abdulrahman Mohammed, a journalist residing in Qatar, confirmed to Al-Estiklal that “the reality refutes all the campaigns of lies that Qatar was exposed to before and during the World Cup.”

Mohammed added, “What Qatar did to confront these systematic campaigns is a lesson in the management strategy of confronting rumors and lies directed at a sensitive and difficult time.”

He explained that “Qatar did not meet the matter with violence, madness, and randomness. It did not harness motorized propaganda machines or release media professionals screaming and cheering all the time, but rather relied on action and reality while quietly highlighting these facts.”

Mohammed concluded by saying: “The 2022 World Cup will remain a historic station in everything. The matter was greater than a major tournament but rather a real battle between cultures, civilizations, values, and constants, and Qatar had to pass those barriers smoothly because clash means failure, and it means proving what your opponents want to bring you down.”

He concluded by saying: “Indeed, Qatar succeeded, and it made fair and impartial Western voices respond to it, tell the truth, and record history from Doha.”