As we reach the final days of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, one thing has been very, very, clear to all that this World Cup is the most inclusive and Doha hosted a diverse set of fans. This was evident at all the stadiums, fan zones and at various tourist spots across the country. For the past few weeks, Doha has been a melting pot of various cultures, languages, and costumes – all coming together to celebrate the beautiful game of football.
Qatar has a very diverse resident population with people from several countries co-habiting in a peaceful and respectful way. In addition to this, the world cup brought fans from several countries to Doha to witness one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world. It is very heartening to see fans from places who otherwise found it difficult to attend World Cup due to cost or visa issues coming to Qatar to enjoy multiple matches.
In an interview recently with The Washington Post, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stressed the inclusivity part of Qatar 2022.
“We believe that this is the most inclusive World Cup. There are a lot of people from different countries, from different backgrounds who have never been able to come and enjoy the World Cup. If you look at the demography of the fans, Indian fans are there, fans from Pakistan, from Southeast Asia, from the Far East, from the Arab region, from Europe, from Latin America, from Central Asia. All of them, they are coming here and enjoying the football,” he told the newspaper.
This point was amplified by the visiting fans and media as they were posting videos and pictures of fans of various countries singing and dancing together. There was no animosity between different supporters just friendly banters and a lot of selfies. Some journalists, who have covered multiple World Cups, were pleasantly surprised by the bonhomie among the visiting fans, and Qatar residents, which they have not witnessed before.
“We’ve always said that we need more platforms to bring people together from different backgrounds, different walks of life, different beliefs and different ideas to get together and understand that we don’t necessarily have to agree on things but we can still progress and co-exist in a positive way. This World Cup has been able to achieve that. We have seen the exchange of culture, whether it’s in terms of food, clothes or having a life-changing experience,” words by HE Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General, SC, and Chairman, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, summed up it well.
