Views /Opinion

All bets were failed

As the final whistle of the Qatar World Cup 2022 went off, all bets were returned void. All except for one bet; that Qatar would actually organize an unprecedented, historical edition of the World Cup.  

North, south, east, and west, critics and supporters alike, all attest to this.

However, we must also never forget the innumerable, artificial hurdles that had been placed in front of the state of Qatar with the purpose of driving a wedge between it and its right to host the 2022 World Cup; most prominent of which was a campaign that utilized both legitimate and illegitimate means to accomplish so.

The defamation campaign, with utmost condescension and insolence, called for revoking Qatar’s right to organize the global championship.

One by one, all these false, flimsy allegations made against the state of Qatar fell from their twigs like autumn leaves, failing to hold on against actions that were firmer in their resistance to the fall. These actions included successful efforts and procedures that went into organizing the 2022 World Cup activities and events supervised by the state of Qatar.

Many narratives were tried to prevent Qatar from hosting the World Cup, among which were claims of Qatar’s lack of readiness to host the global event, falsely supplemented by talks of the country not having enough places to accommodate the incoming fans, and it being unable to provide transportation to these anticipated crowds. Other claims were also made about the country not having enough experience to organize a football competition on a global scale.

Day after day, and as the World Cup 2022 championship progressed, all these narratives were proven false, with Qatar moving exceptionally to produce a unique edition of the World Cup; the greatest ever since the establishment of the World Cup tournament.

We must remember that it is not an easy task to manage large crowds inside and outside stadiums and metro stations, to organize and manage events and entertainment venues for fans, to manage exhibitions and other Arab state participations, to manage arriving and departing fans at the airport and other places, and numerous other organizational procedures related to the tournament.

The crowds arriving to attend the event were characterized by their diversity, having come from different nationalities, races, cultures, religions, customs and traditions. Dealing with a mass influx of such people required great capabilities and greatly prepared human cadres that had to have excellent communication skills, and the ability to confront sudden situations with the utmost wisdom and professionalism.

Providing security for such a large attendance, notwithstanding the attention paid to securing Qatar’s land, sea, and skies during the World Cup days, was not an easy matter.

Qatar was met by these challenges and many more, and managed to overcome them on its way to actualizing the most unforgettable edition of the biggest footballing even there is.  This was the first tournament to be held in a country that was not part of the club that had monopolized the World Cup organization work, and was the first time in history the competition was held in a Muslim and Arab country.

Both Islamic and Arabic cultures were presented to the world, through direct contact between the different audiences, television, live internet broadcasts, and other communication methods.

According to the president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Qatar World Cup 2022 competition was the most watched World Cup ever, and the highest-grossing one as well, with revenues amounting to $7.5 billion; one billion more than the previous edition of the World Cup hosted by Russia in 2018.

This tournament, by the grace of the almighty Allah, did not witness riots, and was the safest and most secure tournament ever held.

Qatar has been able, with every merit deserved, to carve a place for itself in World Cup memory, being the first Arab and Islamic nation to win the right to host the competition, succeeding in hosting and organizing the event in an evidently remarkable manner, which will never fail to be commented upon whenever the term “World Cup” is brought up.

Qatar has also made its presence in the football world known, and solidified its record as a house of expertise in the field of organizing world championships.

Though the World Cup Qatar 2022 ended with final whistle of the final match, the cultural, social, and economic returns have only begun, and the state of Qatar bears every right to reap the fruits of its labor in a way that benefits it and its children, and at the forefront of that is the strengthening of its position as an expert nation in everything related to sports, as well as preparing, organizing, and producing regional and international championships.

Congratulations to Qatar on its unprecedented, historical organization of the 2022 World Cup competition.  It is the status of the proud soul that the well-known Arab poet Al-Mutanabbi likened in one of his poems with literal meaning saying:- 

“If the aspiration and dignified soul of someone’s is great, his/her body gets tired of seeking superiority in matters, and he/she not get satisfied with the low status and keep seeking the honorable rank”.