Qatari Newspapers Editorials

Doha, November 05 (QNA) - Qatari newspapers on Saturday shed light on the unprecedented campaign that targeted Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, compared to other countries that previously hosted the event, noting the assertion of HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani that there is a lot of hypocrisy in these attacks against the State of Qatar because of its hosting of the World Cup, peddled by a very small number of people, in a few countries, while the whole world is looking forward to celebrating this global football event. The Qatari dailies underlined that the State of Qatar exerted tremendous efforts to host one of the best tournaments ever, welcomed everyone to attend this tournament and provided unprecedented facilities, noting that Qatar considers all criticism as baseless and ignores the achievements on the ground. Under its editorial entitled "Qatar World Cup Reveals Racism of Smear Campaigns", Al-Raya said that the racism of the malicious campaigns at aim to distort the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 have increased with the start of the festive atmosphere to host an exceptional tournament. In this context, Al-Raya highlighted HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani's interview with French newspaper Le Monde, in which His Excellency noted a lot of hypocrisy in the attacks against Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, which ignore all the achievements that have been made. His Excellency added that these attacks are being peddled by a very small number of people, in ten countries at most, who are not at all representative of the rest of the world, while the reality is that the world is looking forward to this celebration, noting: "Over 97% of the tickets have been sold, and among the ten countries that bought the most tickets, we find European countries like France." Al-Raya noted the double standards policy appears clearly in the issue of employment conditions by systematically placing the blame on the state, while in Europe the slightest incident is blamed on the company. Also, when some European countries heat stadiums during the winter, no one talks about emissions or their impact on the climate, however, clamor and controversy increase about Qatar's innovative technology to cool stadiums although the cooling system will not be need during the tournament which takes place in November and December- months of the most amazing weather in Qatar. Al-Raya emphasized that targeting everything related to Qatar World Cup is mainly caused by refusal of hosting such a huge event in a small Arab country that have big ambitions. However, the State of Qatar continues steadily and confidently to achieve its vision of hosting an unforgettable tournament that extends bridges of love, peace and acquaintance between the East and the West, and conveys the true image of the Arab peoples, heritage and cultures. For its part, Qatari daily Al-Watan said that all Western criticism to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been purely racist, reflecting a complete ignorance of the Arab region in general, and the Gulf in particular, and a deep-rooted hatred that unfortunately still presents in some democratic countries that should have distanced themselves from such hateful racism. The paper underlined that the State of Qatar exerted tremendous efforts to host one of the best tournaments ever, welcomed everyone to attend this tournament and provided unprecedented facilities, noting that Qatar considers all criticism as baseless and ignores the achievements on the ground. Unfortunately, in the 21st century racism is still rife in Western political circles that could not bear the idea of an Arab country hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 and succeeding in building some of the best stadiums at the global level, Al-Watan added. The racist minority that strives to offend Qatar do not express the opinions of the Western public eager to attend this championship. Everyone will find out that the insults and attacks on Qatar were based on purely racist reasons against a country that has always believed in peace and has great and unique contributions to creating an atmosphere of security and stability around the world, Al-Watan concluded. Meanwhile, Qatari daily Al-Sharq highlighted the rise in campaigns supportive of the State of Qatar in the face of the unprecedented campaign against the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, defending the right of the Arab and Islamic countries to organize this global event. The paper referred to HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani's interview with French newspaper Le Monde, in which His Excellency said that there is a lot of hypocrisy in the attacks against Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, ignoring all the achievements that have been made. His Excellency added that these attacks are being peddled by a very small number of people in a few countries, while the world is looking forward to this celebration, noting that over 97% of the tickets have been sold, which reveal the real little impact of those baseless campaigns. The hypocrisy and lack of objectivity will be defeated by the facts. Guests of the State of Qatar and the World Cup fans will witness the hospitality and generosity of Qatar, and will have the opportunity to live an amazing experience in Doha which has turned into a great theater for celebrations, events and open programs, and learn about the true Arab culture, traditions and values, Al-Sharq concluded. For its part, Qatari English newspaper The Peninsula underlined that the State of Qatar has made almost all arrangements for hosting 2022 FIFA World Cup which is being held for the first time in the Middle East. From accommodation to transportation system all preparations are ready to give fans all comforts during their stay in Qatar to enjoy mega sporting event in a remarkable way. A state-of-the-art public transport systems will provide seamless options for fans to get around. Owing to compact tournament, fans will never be far from a stadium, their accommodation or entertainment site, and will even have the chance to attend more than one match per day during the early stages of the tournament, The Peninsula added. The paper highlighted the new announcement which will allow non-ticketed fans with a Hayya Card to enter Qatar from Dec. 2 to enjoy the spectacular FIFA World Cup festivities. The non-ticketed fans can apply for their Hayya Cards to enter the State of Qatar through the Hayya platform or Hayya to Qatar 2022 mobile app according to the listed requirements. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior and security forces have also worked diligently to put extensive plans and programs in place to ensure the delivery of a safe and distinguished tournament. Also emergency healthcare will be provided for free to Hayya Card holders at public health facilities. The medical teams will be present at all the eight stadiums and fan activity zones to provide emergency services for fans during the tournament, the paper added. The Peninsula highlighted that more than 90 special events will take place on the sidelines of the World Cup, referring to exceptional festivals, roving performances and cultural activities. (QNA)