THE opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup was stunning. It not only showcased the Qatari cultural heritage in true spirit but also highlighted the football’s ability to unite people from different countries and cultures.
In his address on the occasion, Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani alluded to the hard work put to make the World Cup one of the most successful tournaments saying his country exerted all efforts and invested for the good of all humanity.
There is no denying that the country ever since getting the rights to host this mega event has spent a whopping amount of three hundred billion dollars to build state-of-the-art infrastructure including stadiums, hotels, transport system and so many other things, thus fulfilling all the requirements that were needed.
The very transformation made by Qatar is today mesmerizing and catching the eyes of all and sundry.
The Qatari leadership really deserves applause for putting in place all these excellent arrangements which, in fact, will go a long way in further bolstering the image of energy-rich country in the outside world.
This will prove beneficial for Qatar to continue to attract tourists in the months and years ahead.
This will also open further doors for the Gulf countries as well to organize the world sporting event.
The attendance of many world leaders in the opening ceremony including that of Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman al Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sissi was yet another manifestation of how sports such as football bring people together and unite them.
We are confident that the event will promote more seeds of unity in the Gulf region which, given its importance, is of immense importance to address the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah.
It is for the first time that a Muslim country is hosting this biggest sporting event which is a matter of pride for all of us including for the people in Pakistan.
We are grateful to the Qatari authorities for showing trust on Pakistan for the security of the tournament as well as shared their pride for FIFA by using our locally-manufactured footballs.
