Before Qatar-Ecuador, the 2022 World Cup began on Sunday with an opening ceremony reminiscent of those of the Olympic Games, with American actor Morgan Freeman as the narrator and a member of the famous K-pop group BTS as the headliner. .
In a context of recurring criticism against Qatar in terms of respect for human rights, this thirty-minute ceremony was placed under the sign of "respect and inclusion", according to a document sent by the organizers.
For the kick-off of this month of football, the small gas emirate had undoubtedly dreamed up the best scenario.
In front of the 60,000 spectators at the Al Bayt stadium, 50 km north of Doha, the Qataris, insignificant, were easily dominated by Ecuador (2-0).
The stands of the stadium gradually emptied after the two goals conceded by the host country, to finish very bare in the 80th minute, a rarity for a match of this importance.
A look back at this first evening in pictures.
Directed by:
Olivier JUSZCZAK
In a context of recurring criticism against Qatar in terms of respect for human rights, climate impact or discrimination, the small gas emirate launched its World Cup on November 20, 2022.
Several Heads of State and Government were present, in the forefront of which the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed ben Salman, the King of Jordan, or the Palestinian Presidents Mahmoud Abbas, Algerian Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Egyptian Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Rwandan Paul Kagame and Liberian former footballer George Weah, as well as Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
Turkish Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi exchanged their first handshake on the sidelines of the opening of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, according to the Turkish presidency.
A snapshot, posted on the official website of the presidency, shows the two leaders, cold since the coming to power of Mr. Sissi, exchanging a handshake with a smile.
“We gather here as one great tribe.
“With tolerance and respect, we can live together”… In front of almost full stands, the ceremony began with this exchange between Morgan Freeman and Ghanim Al-Muftah, a young disabled man.
On the ground transformed into the stage of the Al Bayt stadium, with architecture imitating traditional Bedouin tents, no Shakira or Dua Lipa, whose names had circulated on the networks and in the media.
Several paintings have mixed traditional cultural elements from the Arabian Peninsula (dromedaries, Ardah folk dance, drums)…
And reminiscences of previous football World Cups (mascots, World Cup and team anthems).
It was Jungkook, one of the seven members of the South Korean group BTS, who provided the show by performing
Dreamers
, one of the anthems of the first World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab world, alongside the Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi.
For twelve years, Qatar has been preparing to be able to welcome 32 selections and hundreds of thousands of fans who will land in this emirate as large as Cyprus or the greater Paris region.
During this tournament played in eight stadiums - seven of which came out of the desert for the occasion - the usual giants of the round ball should still compete for the trophy, until the final on December 18: Brazil, Argentina, France or even England, Germany and Spain.
The treatment of LGBTQ+ people is another concern in a conservative country where homosexuality and sex outside marriage are criminalized.
The authorities have assured that they will be welcomed without discrimination, but the about-face on Friday on the sale of alcohol finally banned around the stadiums makes some fear other reversals.
After months of silence, FIFA President Gianni Infantino replied in an offensive mode on Saturday: "Giving moral lessons always in the same direction is simply hypocrisy", he said. reprimanded, finding these criticisms “deeply unfair”.
“For what we Europeans have done for the past 3,000 years, we should apologize for the next 3,000 years before giving moral lessons to others,” he proclaimed.
In the story… Through the back door.
On the sporting side, Qatar, very criticized extra-sportingly even before the start of the World Cup-2022, became the first host country to bow when entering the competition, defeated (2-0) Sunday by the Ecuador of the untenable Valencia, author of a double.
The football world wondered about the level of Al-Annabi (the Bordeaux), who have been preparing almost behind closed doors for six months to make a success of their great debut at this level.
Everyone could see that the Asian champion, perhaps paralyzed by the challenge, did not make the weight.
The stands of the Al-Bayt stadium in Doha gradually emptied after the two goals conceded by the host country, to the point of being very sparse shortly before the final whistle.
As the second half progressed, these starts intensified and the stands were very empty in the 80th minute, a rarity for a match of this importance.
A nice picture.
Ceremony
World Cup 2022
Slideshow
Ecuador
Soccer
Qatar