Dhe early out of the German team at the World Cup was met with scorn and ridicule in the host country and other Arab countries. Reactions on television and on social media mainly alluded to the photo of the German team before the first game against Japan, when the players covered their mouths with their hands.
In the sports talk show “Madschlis” on the Qatari broadcaster Al-Kass, the guests made the same gesture after the German team was eliminated on Thursday evening – and silently waved at the camera for a few seconds. “The entire Arab and Islamic nation prayed today that Japan would qualify,” says one of the talk’s participants. “But the most important thing today is Germany’s elimination.”
Schadenfreude in social media
The broadcaster also followed up on Twitter: “Germany… was thinking outside the square, then fell and said goodbye,” tweeted the broadcaster.
The caricature of a German team picture circulated on social media, in which the players were crying and covering their eyes. “Goodbye to anyone who doesn’t respect our Arabic and Islamic values,” tweeted one user, who says she is from Saudi Arabia. One user with the Qatari flag on her profile wrote: “Schadenglee at the worst scum in the west is mandatory.”
Both the German team picture with the hand in front of the mouth and the “One Love” armband that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) wore when she visited the World Cup stadium were met with criticism in Qatar. Germany is accused of double standards in the emirate. In response, Qatari fans showed pictures of Mesut Özil, who had accused the German Football Association of racism, at the second German World Cup game.
