The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has begun. As part of the opening ceremony, speeches were made, songs were sung, danced and diversity was preached. In fact, the show was even more down-to-earth than one might have expected and created a World Cup atmosphere. However, this does not change the fact that everything that was seen in the 30-minute opening ceremony – and thus the longest in history – in no way reflects the reality in Qatar. We take a look at the reactions online, but they are by no means only criticizing the World Cup host country.
No World Cup in history has managed to make many football fans want nothing to do with the event because of its venue alone. Given what happened during the stadium construction work and the human rights situation in the host country, that’s understandable. There is hardly anyone who is completely undamped in the mood for the World Cup, which is partly due to the unusual time of year. Everything is different at this World Cup – unfortunately.
However, Qatar was not the only one to be ridiculed and criticized, the reporting on German television was also criticized. Many do not want to see a political event but a sporting event and therefore sweep other topics under the carpet. Accusations of double standards and hypocrisy are also widespread. To a certain extent, there are arguments, since equality and human rights were not a matter of course in the “West” not too long ago and exploitation did not only occur in the colonial era.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as The World Cup is Qatar is open: The network actions for the opening ceremony.
