BarcelonaQatar had kept the details of the opening ceremony of the World Cup very secretive. Very few expected, then, to see Morgan Freeman appear on stage. The legendary American actor, winner of an Oscar, has been the figure chosen to star in the opening part of the act. Possibly the one that the organizers wanted to be the most emotional. The actor appeared next to a Qatari citizen with a malformation – he has no legs – and they had a short conversation in the center of the Al-Bayt stadium, which ended with both of them shaking hands.
It was an austere ceremony, compared to some displays of strength such as the Olympic Games. But that is not why Qatar has wasted the opportunity to send its message to the world. As with any Olympic event, the opening of a World Cup has an audience numbering in the hundreds of millions and the organizers are fully aware of this. They choose the topics, the way they explain them and the wrapping that adorns them. Nothing has been wasted in a staging that, from the outset, wanted to be the complete opposite of what Qatar 2022 had been accused of. From the opulence of the stadiums to the simplicity of a presentation where the first country of the By organizing a World Cup, the Middle East has explained Arab culture through different performances and told the story of Qatar through football. “This World Cup is the dream of a lifetime,” said Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in his opening speech, with which he ended an event that lasted half an hour.
After days and days of talking about the reasons why Qatar organizes a World Cup, whether or not it is convenient to play it in this country, and a media coverage where sports and international political specialists go hand in hand, the organizers have wanted to counterattack with his own speech. “We welcome the whole world to Doha. We have worked hard, with many people, to make this competition a success. We have invested to work for the good of humanity. People come together, no matter their ethnicity, religion , orientation and nationality, here in Qatar and behind the scenes of all the continents of the world,” added the emir in his speech.
Controversial words that contrast with the many controversies that have surrounded this tournament, from the first, when it was awarded to Qatar with bribes in the middle, to the most recent, for the refusal to sell beer with alcohol inside the stadiums or their surroundings, despite the fact that one of the sponsors, Budweiser, pays 75 million to put its image in the World Cup. In between, the very high number of migrants who died while working on the construction of the infrastructure for the tournament, or the lack of rights towards women or the LGTBIQ+ group, among many others.
In fact, these controversies have caused the refusal of some artists to participate in this inaugural ceremony. Qatar 2022 had knocked on the door of stars like Shakira, Rod Stewart or Dua Lipa, but they were told no. And Alicia Keys was originally supposed to participate, although at the last minute the American has also canceled her performance. Instead, J Balvin, Jason Derulo, Robbie Williams, Sean Paul, Black Eyed Peas, Jungkook (BTS), Maluma and Nicki Minaj were present.
But Qatar wanted to continue with its speech, and the emir’s words were accompanied by a wink all over the planet. Morgan Freeman’s visit was a first step – “football goes around the world, and what unites nations also unites communities”, said the actor – and has continued with a memory for all other editions of the World Cup that have been played so far. Coinciding with the presentation of La’eeb, the mascot of Qatar 2022, which has appeared in giant format at the Al-Bayt stadium, the mascots of the other World Cups have also made an appearance, among them, of course, the Naranjito, that orange that served as an icon for the tournament organized by Spain in 1982 – the opening ceremony of which was held at Camp Nou.
