Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, delivers his speech in the presence of FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, and the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Bin Salmán. Noushad Thekkayil (EFE)
“How wonderful that people can put aside what divides them and celebrate diversity and what unites everyone at the same time,” Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said proudly at the opening ceremony. of the World Cup.
Just 24 hours earlier, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had said something very similar when answering a question: if he did not regret, like his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, having brought the tournament to a country that discriminates against women and criminalizes homosexuality.
This Sunday, in the authorities' box at the Al Bayt stadium, Infantino sat down - or was seated - next to Saudi Prince Mohamed Bin Salmán, considered the instigator of the brutal murder of critical journalist Jamal Kashoggi at the Istanbul consulate in 2018. The past September,
Among other authorities, the Egyptian president, Fattah al-Sisi;
the Turk, Tayyip Erdogan;
that of Algeria, Abdelmayid Tebún, and the vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, whose teams do not participate in this World Cup, in addition to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach.
The actor Morgan Freeman has been one of the first to appear on stage at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar together with the Qatari 'youtuber' Ghanim al-Muftah.Justin Setterfield (Getty Images)
The ceremony brought back Naranjito and other historic World Cup mascots that were much smaller than Spain 1982 by comparison, including an armadillo.
The one in this edition of the World Cup is a white and smiling turban. Noushad Thekkayil (EFE)
An artist participates in the opening ceremony of the World Cup.
In the desire of the organizing country and FIFA to show concord and unity, musical groups performed typical songs of the fans of each country -the Spanish quota was for "I am Spanish, Spanish, Spanish"-.RAUL ARBOLEDA (AFP)
View of the interior of the stadium during the inauguration.
FABRIZIO BENSCH (REUTERS)
Performance of the singer Maluma. Francois Nel (Getty Images)
Artists participate in the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (AFP)
Supporters of Ecuador kiss a replica of the trophy at the Al-Bayt stadium. Raúl Arboleda (AFP)
Participants in the inauguration wave flags of the 32 teams that are competing in the World Cup. DPA via Europa Press (DPA via Europa Press)
The stadium where the inauguration took place takes its name from the bayt al sha'ar, the traditional tents used by nomads from Qatar and the Gulf region, and its structure clearly resembles one of them.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (AFP )
The Qatari 'youtuber' Ghanim al-Muftah (on the left), at a moment of the opening ceremony of the World Cup.
RAUL ARBOLEDA (AFP)
Singer Jung Kook, a member of the South Korean group BTS, performed 'Dreamers', a song included in the official soundtrack of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (AFP)
Artists participate in the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar. GLYN KIRK (AFP)
Artists participate in the inauguration at the stadium.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (AFP)
Artists perform during the opening ceremony before the Group A match.Christopher Pike (Bloomberg)
View of the official mascot La'eeb during the inauguration. KAI PFAFFENBACH (REUTERS)
Fans record the opening ceremony with their mobile phones from a screen in the Fan Fest area in Doha.ROLEX DELA PENA (EFE)
The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, gives this Sunday the opening speech of the 2022 World Cup at the Al Bayt stadium, located in the city of Jor. Noushad Thekkayil (EFE)
Artists participate in the opening ceremony of the World Cup.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (AFP)
Interior of the stadium during the inauguration.
KIM HONG-JI (REUTERS)
Qatar supporters in the stands of the stadium.
Thanassis Stavrakis (AP)
Fireworks light up the sky over the stadium.Jaime Villanueva
Former French soccer player Marcel Desailly holds the World Cup trophy.ODD ANDERSEN (AFP)
Argentine fans animate the atmosphere in the stadium. Friedemann Vogel (EFE)
The actor Morgan Freeman, the same one who played Nelson Mandela in
Invictus
, assured from the grass —covered for the ceremony prior to the first game by a long canvas— that soccer goes around the world, unites nations and also the communities.
Messages of "tolerance" and "respect" were repeated.
Infantino insisted that soccer is a kind of glue for everything.
The ceremony brought back Naranjito and other historic World Cup mascots that were much smaller than Spain 1982 by comparison, including an armadillo.
The one in this edition of the World Cup is a white and smiling turban, but they put it to float in the air and you had to pay close attention so as not to confuse it with the little ghost Cásper.
In this eagerness to show concord and unity, musical groups interpreted typical songs of the fans of each country —the Spanish quota was for “
I am Spanish, Spanish, Spanish”—.
The first match, a Qatar-Ecuador, was held, to underline that message of a hospitable and integrating people, in a stadium, Al Bayt, in the shape of a tent.
The human trail entered until it was almost completely filled after a monumental traffic jam and the yelling fights sticking half a body out the window.
There are universal instincts.
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