The images of Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup won with Argentina were eagerly awaited by fans all over the world, because they marked the consecration of an exceptional career and the entry of the player, according to many, among the greatest in the history of the football, together with Pele and Diego Armando Maradona. In those photos, however, an unusual and somewhat strange detail will always remain, which in fact has attracted many comments and criticisms: a black cloak worn over the Argentina shirt.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
No captain of a World Cup-winning national team had ever been required to put something on over their team kit in the official photos of the medal ceremony. Immediately before handing over the cup to Messi, however, the Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the current ruler of Qatar, made him wear a bisht, a black cloak with gold decorations, which in Arab culture is used during ceremonies. Messi kept it on afterwards too, during the celebrations with the team, as can be seen in many of the photos of the evening (at one point he took it off, and there are also photos of him without him).
Messi’s black cloak is called a ‘Beshth’. Arabian warriors wore it after a victory. It’s also worn by the royal family. King of Qatar honored Messi as a sign of respect. Signifying Messi as a warrior who won for his country di lui Argentina pic.twitter.com/TMStG6mo57
— Tallie Dar (@talliedar) December 18, 2022
Already during the award ceremony, many accused the Qatari authorities of having wanted to somehow “cover” the shirt of the player and the winning team with a symbol of the host country, already at the center of enormous criticism and controversy for how he obtained the assignment of these World Cups, for the lack of respect for human and workers’ rights and, in the last week, also for the case of alleged corruption of some representatives of the European Union institutions which involves him.
Messi will be remembered as the undisputed protagonist of this World Cup, the last of his grandiose career and the first won by Argentina after 36 years: that in the photos that could be the most important and significant of his sporting life he had to wear a strange cloak it seemed to many disrespectful and unfair. At the same time, his particular relationship with Qatar is also known, of which he was in some ways the footballer-image in these World Cups: in fact, he plays for Paris Saint-Germain, the very rich club owned by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund.
This year’s World Cup is the first to be hosted by an Arab country. The secretary general of the Qatar tournament organizing committee, Hassan Al Thawadi, told BBC Sports that the bisht is «a dress for an official occasion, worn for celebrations» and that the World Cup offered «the opportunity to show our Arab and Muslim culture to the world. It wasn’t Qatar, it was a regional celebration.”
Some commentators have defined the emir’s act as yet another act of “sport washing” by Qatar, that is, the exploitation of the values of sport to convey a more positive and ethically sound self-image. Another widespread criticism has highlighted the fact that the bisht is a religious symbol of the Muslim tradition, and that for this reason it should not be compared to an international and secular event such as the soccer World Cup.
In many Arab countries bisht is used in religious contexts but not only. It is worn by men of royal families or even, for example, during weddings: the groom’s father makes his son wear it in a similar way to what happened between the emir and Messi during the awards ceremony. It has existed for thousands of years and is generally considered a symbol of dignity and royalty: offering it to someone means acknowledging respect and appreciation. Furthermore, on 18 December, the day of the final, the country’s national holiday was celebrated in Qatar, in memory of the unification that took place in 1878, and on that occasion it is traditional for the bisht to be worn by men representing the authorities.
Among the many who commented on the story online, some pointed out that a similar event had already happened in the history of the World Cup, without so much controversy ensuing. In 1970, in fact, the Brazilian footballer Pelé was made to wear a traditional Mexican sombrero during the celebrations for the victory of the cup in Mexico. Even without considering the differences between the political context of Mexico in 1970 and that of Qatar in 2022, however, the difference is that Pele did not wear the sombrero in the official photos of the award ceremony, but only during the subsequent celebrations, and furthermore the hat did not cover the uniform of his national team.
When pèle wore the sombrero after winning #WorldCup in Mexico , everyone saw that as coexistence and sending a message that we are all one in football ,but when Messi wore bisht people saw it as gesture that ruined the moment ,live your life and stop whining over little things pic.twitter.com/pPeIQTxf1u
— ahmed baokbah 🇸🇦 🇲🇦🏎✈️ (@ahmed_baokbah) December 18, 2022
It is not clear whether Messi’s dressing with the bisht had been agreed with FIFA, the organization that governs international football, but it appears very probable: at the time it took place on stage, the president Gianni Infantino was also there, who is not appeared amazed by the gesture, and who gave Messi instructions on what to do after taking the cup in hand. It is also unclear whether Messi himself was warned of what was to come, but from his demeanor it seems plausible that he too was prepared.
