After Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win over Tigres in the delayed FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, a member of the royal family inadvertently stole the limelight for the wrong reasons in the awards ceremony on Thursday.
As the match officials walked up to the podium in the aftermath of the final, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani greeted the male officials with a fist bump. However, when the female officials Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back approached him, they were snubbed by the Qatari royal, who was handing out the awards alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
According to The Daily Mail, the female officials were instructed to walk straight past the royal after the lack of interaction.
When female referees Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back approach, the Sheikh appears to snub them.
Some devout Muslims argue that Islam does not permit physical contact with a person of the opposite gender.https://t.co/T2pBRCJ0RJ
— Babajide Orevba (@JideOrevba) February 12, 2021
Earlier, Bayern Munich players like Robert Lewandowski and Joshua Kimmich collected their trophies from Sheikh Joaan, who is the younger brother of Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and is the president of Qatar’s Olympic Committee.
According to some devout Muslim cultures, physical contact with a person of the opposite sex, except for immediate family members, is not permitted.
Homosexuality is also illegal in Qatar and can be punished by death, while women’s rights are restricted due to the male guardianship law.
The 2022 World Cup is to be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18 to avoid the country’s summer heat amidst some controversy. Several human rights organisations, including Amnesty International has strongly criticised the treatment of migrant workers involved in preparation of the stadiums and infrastructure.
