Western Media criticising Qatar for making Messi wear Arab Clothing in world cup celebration
1 min read
The World Cup trophy was presented to Argentina’s Lionel Messi last night, but the superstar’s wearing of a black Arab shroud sparked criticism from Western pundits and journalists.
The cloak, known as a bisht in local dialect, was given to Messi by Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The giving of the bisht was a symbolic act of Arab hospitality for the Arab hosts of the first World Cup in the region.
This is a fitting and respectful gesture for Messi. We could benefit from some nuance in our critique of Qatar and FIFA. https://t.co/VRIlmcyw76
— Tim (@pittman021) December 19, 2022
In the region, men commonly wear the bisht, a traditional cloak, at important rituals.
Social media users in the area and beyond praised the action, but it also gave rise to a fresh round of racism from western journalists and Twitter users.
BBC pundit Pablo Zabaleta asked “Just why? There’s no reason to do that.” While BBC host Gary Lineker said it was “a shame they’ve covered his shirt” during what was “a magic moment”.
Meanwhile, ESPN journalist Mark Ogden described its as a barber’s “cape” while HITC Sport’s Dylan Walsh compared the traditional clothing to a “Victoria Secret robe”. Both of those tweets have now been deleted and the journalists issued watered down criticism of the moment.
Explaining the iconic move, Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of Qatar’s tournament organising committee, told BBC Sport “it is a dress for an official occasion and worn for celebrations”.
“This was a celebration of Messi. The World Cup had the opportunity to showcase to the world our Arab and Muslim culture. This was not about Qatar, it was a regional celebration.
“People from different walks of life were able to come, experience what was happening here and get to understand that we may not see eye to eye on everything, but we can still celebrate together.”
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