Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the World Cup, spoke about the situation
“It is very unfortunate that much of this commentary has been off track,” he said.
Hassan Al-Thawadigeneral secretary of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, raised his voice in protest at what he considers “racism and prejudice” against the World Cup to be held in his country, all this in an article published by ‘The Times’.
In his editorial, Al Thawadi mentions that this competition “is perhaps the most written and commented on before a ball has been thrown”, considering it “unfortunate that a large part of these comments have been diverted” and criticizing that “rely on racist stereotypes based on longstanding prejudices about the Middle East and the Arab world”.
In the rest of the article, Al Thawadi was determined to enhance his country’s values, arguing that “97% of the tickets are sold. The UK is in the top five markets for those sales. We are excited to welcome people and share the culture of hospitality that we cherish as Qataris and Arabs.”
Finally, he commented that this event is key “for the 450 million people in our region, who live and breathe football. Our peoples are united by history, language, culture and religions.”