Gianni Infantino once again had to prove himself when, in the presence of the Emir of Qatar, he wore a black and gold medallion to Lionel Messi at an awards ceremony before being allowed to lift the trophy.
The action was a reminder that a dark shadow hung over the tournament in the desert state. It was all but forgotten after four weeks of exciting football and a memorable finale that crowned Messi’s career.
The list of criticisms of the host of the World Cup ahead of the tournament was long. disregard for human rights. Dead forced laborers. Lack of sustainability. This was followed by Infantino’s whimsical opening speech (“Today I feel like a homosexual, today I feel like a disabled person”) and alcohol bans in stadiums and the One Love armband.
Captivating and spectacular
In the course of the tournament, public criticism fell silent and sports came to the fore – rightly so. Qatar 2022 offers quality football and exciting matches. Some surprised (Morocco and Japan), others disappointed (Belgium and Germany), others rejoiced – in the end, only Croats and Argentines.
Qataris have contributed to a successful event. The organization worked, the collapse that was feared did not happen, fans from all over the world celebrated peacefully and stormily. The Short Distance World Cup contrasted with tournaments in South Africa, Brazil and Russia, where teams and fans had to travel thousands of miles.
Many of the more than two million guest workers in the small Gulf state also took part in the hustle, donning Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar shirts and cheering in front of big screens in the fan zones. Only a few are lucky enough to get into magnificent stadiums. Her pride in being part of the world’s biggest sporting event, along with the Olympics, was palpable.
Europe on the sidelines
Qatar celebrated the Winter World Cup in summer temperatures. Only European fans stayed away from the party. While some of them got lost in the arenas, with the exception of the crowds of Welsh who insisted on watching the first World Cup since 1958 on the spot (and drinking it in hotel bars), Western Europe had doubts about the hosts, as did four years ago.
Latin Americans are completely different. Mexicans, Brazilians, Uruguayans. They sang and danced without drinking too much alcohol. Despite the economic crisis, Argentina flocked en masse to Qatar and were rewarded with their third world title. Thousands of them crossed the border from Saudi Arabia and supported their team with deafening gossip. The African continent showed solidarity with Morocco, the first semi-finalist of the World Cup in Africa.
The FIFA president defended the World Cup in the desert with skin and (defunct) hair, and moved his residence to the Persian Gulf ahead of the tournament. A few weeks before the World Cup, Infantino announced that Qatar would be the best World Cup in history. But was it really her? Sporty and atmospheric, it was winning. To think that the World Cup could change Qatari society is to overwhelm the sport and its influence once again.