It’s the opening of the World Cup with a memory by Gustavo Kuerten. Or rather, two Brazilian journalists, who covered the Montreal Tournament, at the beginning of the century, behind Guga. Hungry, in the middle of the afternoon, they entered a pastry shop and glimpsed the window with appetizing snacks.
One of them asked: “I wonder what that one is called in French?”
Posing as a polyglot, the other called the employee: “Leave it to me!”
This was followed by a phrase in French, with an accent from the Serra da Cantareira: “Comment s’appelle?” (What is your name?).
The Canadian attendant, attentive, stretched the syllable, to make herself understood: “Quiiiiiiiiii….. Be”. Fried meat balls!!!!
Eureka! The tasty snack had, in French, the same name in Portuguese. And in the world.
The World Cup opens this Sunday (20) and will show the planet the problems and richness of Arab culture. Qatar is an absolute, Islamic monarchy, which invited us to take a closer look at its sins, such as violations of human rights, to be observed with a magnifying glass by this animal that is so mistreated in the contemporary world, the professional journalist.
The Cup was not supposed to be here. But is. So it’s time to demand justice. But also to learn another culture.
The first week of World Cup coverage brought two more sad episodes. One was threats to Danish reporter Rasmus Tantholdt by Qatari officials, followed by an apology from the Supreme Committee of Qatar.
The second gaffe was not an Arab one. The Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, from Iran, refused to answer about the absence of women’s rights and even asked to verify the problems with immigrants in England.
Even Joseph Blatter, former FIFA president, Blatter, admitted it was a mistake to bring the Cup to Qatar, a country of 3 million inhabitants, 90% of whom were born abroad, only 40% Arabs.
Qataris hope to reduce what is called Islamophobia, reinforced by the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Brazilian football has feared the Middle East since the departure of coaches Zagallo, Telê Santana and Rubens Minelli to Saudi Arabia, in 1970’s.
In 1979, the news scared, with the fall of the government of Shah Reza Pahlevi, overthrown by Shiites to put Ayatollah Khomeini in power. Pahlavi was a dictator, overthrown for trying to modernize the country. Iranians are Persians and therefore ethnically not Arabs.
Most Arabs are Muslims, but not all Muslims are Arabs. More than Khomeini, the West feared Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda and bin Laden, post-9/11. It’s not fair to be afraid of culture, any kind of culture.
The dictators and terrorists mentioned are Arabs, but not all Arabs are terrorists and dictators.
The World Cup opens this weekend. Visibility will help demand human rights, women’s rights, respect for freedom of sexual choice, help tell stories of life and humanity.
But it will also help to understand and respect a people who have brought us so much important things.
The Thousand and One Nights Cup starts with Qatar vs Ecuador. Nine Qataris were not born in the country. The winger Ro-Ró, from Qatar, has this nickname because he imitated Ronaldo and Romário. He was born in Sintra, center of the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
Like all of us, Ro-Ró must like hummus and kibbeh.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
