Qatar is taking the initiative in the rights storm.
The countries that are hosting the World Cup are ramping up their diplomatic and media retaliation and threatening legal action to defend their name.
DOHA: In response to a barrage of criticism from Europe before the World Cup kicked off, Qatar on Tuesday stepped up its diplomatic and media backlash, threatening “legal” action to safeguard its reputation.
The Gulf state “competed as equals and grabbed” the World Cup from competitor bids, said Qatar’s main World Cup organiser, five days before the tournament’s opening match, claiming that attacks had been begun against Qatar. The European critics were referred to as “the enemy” by a top member of the Qatar Football Association.
The affluent Gulf state has long argued that everyone is “welcome” at the World Cup and that critics were operating in bad faith in response to criticism of its treatment of foreign employees and its stance on women’s rights and the rights of LGBTQ people.
The emir, Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al-Thani, described Qatar as being subjected to a “unprecedented” and “increasing campaign” that reeked of “double standards” in remarks made to the national legislature on October 25. These remarks indicate how the tone has altered in recent weeks.
Three days later, the German ambassador to Doha was called to account for remarks made by the interior minister of that nation that threw doubt on Qatar’s right to host the World Cup.
Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, the labour minister for Qatar, told AFP that “racism” was to blame for the attacks on his nation’s track record. They oppose allowing a tiny, Arab, or Islamic nation to host the World Cup, he claimed.
The media in Qatar has referred to a “systematic conspiracy” by competing European nations. The “arrogance” of some European nations was criticised by the Al Sharq newspaper.
Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani stated on a recent European tour that there was “a lot of hypocrisy in these assaults” in talks with the media.
He told Le Monde without naming individuals responsible, “They are being marketed by a very small number of people, in 10 nations at most, who are not at all typical of the rest of the globe.”
Following a recent British media report on the hacking of World Cup opponents, a government official issued the following statement: “Qatar will not stand by when confronted with such baseless allegations, and all our legal options are being explored to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
Several authorities are starting to make statements that reflect the resentment that has been expressed in some newspaper editorials.
The Qatar Football Association executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Thani stated in an interview with Al-Sharq that “for me, the presence of the opponent is a blessing and not a curse, because this may motivate you to execute your work in the best possible way.”
Unidentified opponents of the Gulf state were envious of its hosting, according to Hassan Al-Thawadi, secretary general of the organising committee for Qatar.
The efforts are because Qatar, an Arab nation, won the right to host the competition by competing on an equal footing.
According to him, one of the reasons we pushed to host the World Cup was to challenge the preconceived notions people have about Arabs, which is why the attacks were motivated by “the stereotypical image of the Arab world.”
The Qatari administration, according to a European ambassador in Doha, “has taken the criticism to its logical conclusion.”
The diplomat said, speaking on the condition of anonymity since the subject matter was so delicate, “They blame us even if very little is coming from countries.”
