The date chosen for the closing ceremony of the World Cup has a meaning. It is the commemoration of the National Day of Qatar, which celebrates the unification of the country in 1878 by Emir Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani. The country would become a State almost a hundred years later, in 1971, when it declared itself independent.
The celebration, a national holiday, marks a day of achievements for the country. While the cities are decorated with Qatari flags, in addition to the ornaments already placed as a result of the World Cup, the country is paralyzed to watch parades, concerts, fireworks displays and aerial demonstrations.
This time, the celebration is added to the closing of the sporting event announced in 2010, and celebrates the Thani family. A special celebration is given to Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, 42, and his father, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, 70, who led the country for 18 years.
The combination of celebrations is a representation of the achievements of the duo, who, after the announcement of the World Cup in Qatar, continued investing in “soft power” with projects in the West and overcame the Arab blockade to host the competition. On the other hand, it is criticized by the international community for violating the rights of migrants, women and the LGBTQIA+ group.
At the opening party, these were among the main criticisms. The host country of the World Cup tried to sweep its history of human rights violations under the rug with a ceremony based on a discourse of diversity and inclusion. But the presence of women and other minority groups, for the most part, was not highlighted.
The closing ceremony began with a delay, only after the arrival of the emir. Marked by the presence of women from beginning to end, it began with a female choir opening the show with “What a Wonderful World”, by Louis Armstrong.
The ceremony continued with the presence of the Qatari Aisha and the Nigerian Davido, main singers of the official song of the World Cup, “Hayya Hayya” (or “Better Together”, in English).
In addition to them, the performers of the song “Light the Sky”, the Canadian Nora Fatehi, the Iraqi Rahma Riad, the Moroccan Manal, in addition to Balqees, born in the United Arab Emirates.
The Puerto Rican singer Ozuna was also part, despite the country not participating in the championship. Next to him was Franco-Congolese rapper Gims.
The ceremony, with official World Cup music, lyrics that went down in history, lighting, choreography and flying whales, lasted a few minutes. Soon after, the teams took to the field to warm up.
With the ball rolling, the Thani family didn’t care who won. The stars of the two finalist teams, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, are also stars of Paris Saint-Germain, a team owned by Qatar Sports Investments, a subsidiary of the sovereign wealth fund of the Gulf State.
The company, founded in 2004, during the emir’s father’s regime, also purchased around 22% of Sporting Club de Braga, in Portugal, in October this year. In other words, the emir of Qatar also owns football clubs in Europe.
The Qatari government makes massive investments in sport, culture and education in Western countries, trying to establish itself as a power beyond oil and gas on the global geopolitical chessboard. Local officials also see investment, both domestic and foreign, as a way to prepare the nation for a post-fossil fuel future.
In culture, there are pharaonic works signed by renowned artists – such as the National Museum of Qatar, by the French architect Jean Nouvel, who, inspired by a mineral formation called desert roses, erected the giant construction that tells the history of the country according to the will of the royal family. Space advertisements feature former English player David Beckham.
On the other hand, 14 years ago, they inaugurated the Museum of Islamic Art, a kind of religious and artistic temple. With the Thani at the head of the state-owned company that runs the museums, Qatar seeks to prove itself as a cultural power for those arriving from the West, but with their feet planted in the local culture.
The family, in the figure of Emir Hamad Al Thani, also overcame the aggressive blockade that some Arab nations imposed on Qatar in 2017. At the time, diplomatic relations and transport by land, sea and air were cut. The emir was accused of financing terrorism, interfering in the foreign policy of neighbors and getting too close to Iran.
To get rid of the blockade, the country strengthened the national industry, the Armed Forces and invested in new commercial partners. The country’s strong financial reserves helped to overcome the crisis, which came to an end in early 2021.
The country sees the blockade, as it is called, as a violation of human rights. At the exhibition on the history of the country at the National Museum of Qatar, fathers and mothers say they were banned from seeing and talking to their children, and students talk about the moment they were forced to return home due to the barriers imposed by countries like Saudi Arabia. Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.
The country, however, does not even mention the violations it has committed.
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