Qatar 2022; More than football.

In the small peninsula in the persian gulf, a land which was once under persian rule, Rashidun caliphate, ottoman and british rule, before finally becoming independent and self governing in from the british on September 1st, 1971, the twenty second edition of the FIFA world cup took place.

 

This is a nation, that one could argue by accident of geography was destined for the shadows. To the north lies the persian behemoth of Iran, a nation of huge geographical expanse and a population of 90 million people, to the west, the Arab juggernaut of Saudi Arabia, with her massive oil wealth and the two holiest cities of Islam, and the south, the commercial and tourist node that is the UAE.

The Qatari irrepressible spirit was never going to accept being in the shadows, against all odds, the Emir, Tamim Ibn Hamad Al - Thank has gone to great lengths to build a twenty first century kingdom and put Qatar on the global map and consciousness. What they lacked in hard power, their investments in Aljazeera, a global media powerhouse, the LNG giant, Qatar gas and the aviation giants, Qatar airways have more than made up for in soft power.

When the gulf nation won the right to host the world cup, the whole world knew they were in for a treat. The theme choosen was a celebration of humanity, brotherhood and unity.

How apt, in a world full of strife, sectarian conflicts, far right nationalism, racism and destructive liberalism, Qatar sought to promote healing, unite the world and show mankind an alternative path, a path of honor, inclusiveness and beauty.

"O mankind, indeed we created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes, so that you may know one another, Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you, indeed, Allah is all knowing and aware". Qur'an 49 Verse 13.

The holy book declared and the Qataris went all out to prove this divine declaration.

The famed Arab hospitality was in full display, stunning the world and dispelling misconceptions, for a region and a people still struggling with the stigma of 911, this event was their redemption, for it educated the world showing who they truly are and fascilitated understanding and healing.

The previous edition of the world cup in Russia set such a high bar, both in entertainment and organization, that Doha managed to upstage Moscow is in itself a miracle. 

Naysayers and traducers put an array of obstacles on their path, propaganda on 'Human rights and slavery', the pitiful attempt to make LGBT central the tournament, ban on alcohol, but Qatar stood by her traditions, religion and principles and refused to be distracted, nor bend her principles to accommodate the whims of a people who seem to have none.

This was no ordinary world cup, rather a point of amalgamation, an intersect where football met geopolitics, culture and religion, a spectacle like no other with many sub-plots.

The Atlas Lions of Morocco's remarkable run to the semis and in the process becoming the first African and Arab nation to do so, their celebration of family values and putting the long suffering Palestinian cause at the fore of global consciousness  was such a class act.

The boy wonder, Mbappe, looking to lead France to a back-to-back world cup wins, emulating Pele and Brazil in the process.

And then their was Messi, carrying the weight of the Argentinian nation on his shoulders and billions around the world, with the ever present shadow of Maradona looming large.

It all aligned, it seemed written in the stars, Messi had a tournament for the ages, a display of pure artistry, masterclass after masterclass, winning the golden ball and becoming in the process the only player to do so twice, it was not just a win for Argentina, but a coronation for the greatest footballer of all time, it was truly the moment of his apotheosis!