From a sporting point of view, the World Cup final was one of the best games at a football World Cup, if not the best ever: Argentina and France fought a thrilling exchange of blows, the French were able to equalize the lead of the South Americans again and again.
Two players in particular stood out with their goals: Mbappe single-handedly scored all three goals for the French team, Messi scored twice. In the end, it was only nuances that ultimately ensured that Messi and not Mbappe was able to lift the trophy in the penalty shoot-out.
This victory celebration already caused discussions during the broadcast: Even before Messi held the coveted trophy in his hands, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani gave him a semi-transparent, black cape with golden decorations.
While commentators such as Bastian Schweinsteiger felt the so-called bischt was inappropriate in Western countries (“You take away a really big moment from the player”), Arab fans saw the bischt as a grand gesture: “When Arabs give their guest a bischt, that honors them and is a token of gratitude, and it’s not really unlike Pelé wearing a Mexican hat in 1970.” With one difference: Pele didn’t wear the sombrero during the ceremony.
For FIFA, the bischt could mean trouble. In fact, their own rules state that players may only wear their in-game attire during victory celebrations: “At FIFA finals, festive attire may only be worn on the pitch after the following official Fifa activities have taken place (where the team has the must wear the jerseys they wore during the match in question).”
Embarrassing for FIFA boss Gianni Infantino: He not only stood right next to the Emir, but even helped Messi into the bischt. However, it is unlikely that there will be a penalty.
