Meriam Jelliti
Doha
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has witnessed a remarkable presence of women from all across the world, in particular Arab women, keen to support their teams. The presence of Moroccan women is singularly visible after the passage of their country’s national team to the semi-finals.
“Since the start of the World Cup, I have been moving from one place to another to watch the matches and enjoy the different events in Doha, and whereever I go I find myself in an organized, civilized crowd. Whether in the streets, public places or fan zones, I feel completely comfortable and safe. At first I expected this World Cup to be no different than the previous ones; surprisingly it wasn’t. I have never felt such appreciation and respect towards women before, and I have been convinced that some western media were misleading people and sending the wrong message,” said Sarah James, an English fan visiting Qatar for the first time.
In the famous Cultural village Foundation (Katara), we came across a family from France. Clemance, a mother of two young boys, said that Qatar World Cup is family-friendly by excellence. “I’m having a great time with my family. We’re here for the ‘blue’ and we are happy getting to meet people from all over the world, and Qataris in particular are very friendly and kind,” she said.
Thousands of citizens and expatriates flock daily to Katara to enjoy events dedicated to fans and get to experience cultural events and popular markets.
“Everyone has come to enjoy the magical football match and support the team they love, without abhorrent and blind fanaticism. Everyone respects the privacy of the other. Whenever the match ended and whatever was the score, everyone left the stadium in remarkable order and calm, without guidance from anyone. Everyone leaves the place as clean as they found it, no trash on the floor,” said Tunisian Syrine.
She added that the scene is repeated outside the stadiums and in many places, the most prominent of which are the fan areas on the Doha Corniche, Souq Waqif and in many other places.
“In Lusail, there is a Fan Zone with three giant screens and you can see everyone is enthusiastic and encourages warmly, without harassing anyone with a movement or offensive word,” she noted.
She said there was not a single incident of violence or harassment at any site she has visited, and all women she met seemed genuinely happy and safe. “The culture is not only interesting and new to me, but also very respectful of women; at some point I felt I was in a parallel universe where women rule,” she said.
At Al Thumama stadium, Diana from Portugal stressed that she didn’t witness a single incidence of harassment, and on the contrary she was treated with respect by the police and security personnel everywhere she visited. “We have seen female fans going out on channels, narrating the harassment they were subjected to during the previous editions of the World Cup, saying that doesn’t happen in Qatar, and how they enjoy security for themselves and their families, and I’m one of them. I think, this is the first World Cup where I wasn’t verbally harassed.”
“Sexual harassment of female fans in stadiums and on streets was somehow a part of the previous World Cup tournaments and no one addressed that problem. No one had worked on making World Cups safe for women, and what Qatar has done for women should have been done many years ago. People talk about rights but they never addressed women’s rights in sports,” Diana said.
The World Cup Qatar 2022 won a special praise from the foreign fans, who expressed their admiration for the level of safety and organization, compared to other world tournaments, especially with regard to the stadiums being free of alcoholic beverages, which according to them contributed to preventing harassment.
“The presence of Arab fans in Qatar was greater than we expected and we are happy about that,” a Qatari woman said.
She also noted that what makes her and other Qataris happy is seeing the World Cup as an opportunity to show the world the true colours of Qatar. Whatever is your background or your religion or beliefs, everyone is treated with respect and everyone should effortlessly feel safe and at home.
She added, “We do not have the opportunity to host the World Cup every day, so this World Cup showed Qatar to the world and it’s not a country that they will easily forget.”
