The Jewish Voice
By: Brian Richardson
January 02, 2019
Hassan Al-Thawadi, the secretary-general of the tournament’s organizing committee, wants Rabbi Marc Schneier (pictured above) to help the country plan for Jews in any way possible, such as making sure kosher meals will be available, Bloomberg News reports.
Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup and has already been mired in controversy over the past few years. The country, not known for its human rights record, has allowed the construction of the soccer stadiums and other facilities in blistering heat, done by workers who are usually desperate and trapped in this situation. Some of them die from the conditions. Based on past events and the comical levels of corruption FIFA reached under former President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, Qatar could have even bribed officials in order to win the World Cup bid.
Beyond all of that ugliness, the World Cup is still the biggest sports tournament in the world, and it’s one that’s touched by Jewish athletes and influences, big and small. Qatar appears to be aware of this fact because some people on behalf of the country reached out to a rabbi from New York to ask about best practices for accommodating Jews at the tournament, according to Vos Iz Neias News.
Hassan Al-Thawadi, the secretary-general of the tournament’s organizing committee, wants Rabbi Marc Schneier to help the country plan for Jews in any way possible, such as making sure kosher meals will be available, Bloomberg News reports.
The situation could be complicated, considering the lack of good relations between Qatar and Israel. So far, Qatar has been cooperative by suggesting it would allow athletes from Israel to come into Qatar if the Israeli squad qualified, and now one of the officials is trying to work with Schneier on accommodating Jewish spectators.
Al-Thawadi told the rabbi that “visitors with Israeli passports would be allowed to enter the country to attend the tournament,” according to Bloomberg News.
Schneier said that he and the Qatari official “have been in conversation for the last several months about certain ideas and initiatives he would like to implement to welcome and accommodate the many Jewish visitors they are anticipating at the World Cup.”
Schneier tries to strengthen relations between the Jewish and Muslim community through the group he heads, the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
Viewers can tune in, or even travel to Qatar to watch the games in person, when the tournament runs from Nov. 21-Dec. 18, 2022. The tournament, normally held in late June and July, will be late in the year because of the dangerously hot summers in Qatar.
France won the FIFA World Cup for the second time in its history by overcoming Croatia’s bold challenge in a thrilling final in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, BBC News reported.
Hopefully the next World Cup will be as exciting as the one last year when Didier Deschamps’ beat Croatia to bring home the victory to France.
France’s win meant Deschamps, who captained them 20 years ago, became just the third man to win the competition as a player and coach, BBC News reported.
Croatia also felt their luck deserted them, but ultimately France ran out victorious to erase the memories of the loss to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final in Paris.
An own goal from Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic gave France the early lead.
Croatia and France put on quite a show and combined for the highest goal tally in a final since 1958. The match also saw a pitch invasion from a protest apparently led by Russian all-female protest group Pussy Riot, and a controversial intervention from the video assistant referee that had a huge influence on the outcome, BBC News reported.
In the second half, France looked to have wrapped it up with two goals in six minutes from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe.
Croatia, however, showed unbreakable spirit and even threatened a comeback when Mandzukic took advantage of France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris hesitating over a clearance to pull a goal back.
France closed out the win to bring redemption for Deschamps after defeat at the Euro Cup two years ago, sparking wild celebrations and ensuring Lloris lifted the World Cup.
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