Et fits into the image of this World Cup that even the award ceremony did not remain without a culturally connoted controversy. It was about the black cloak called “Bischt” that the Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani put on the Argentine world champion Lionel Messi before the trophy was handed over.
A bischt is a prestigious garment that dates back thousands of years. It used to keep the Bedouins warm during the cold winter months, today the cloak is a sign of identification for important personalities and a piece of clothing for special occasions such as weddings or religious festivals.
Sign of respect and honor
High-ranking politicians, religious scholars, tribal leaders or members of ruling houses often wear the elaborately made and decorated robes, which can cost thousands of euros in the royal, non-machine-made price segment. As a rule, the more important the wearer, the more ornate the cloak.
Making such garments is considered an art passed down through generations of “bisht” tailors. Giving someone such a cloak as a gift is a sign of respect and honor in the region. The Arab outrage on the usual internet channels was correspondingly great that the gesture by the emir was criticized in the West as encroaching and presumptuous.
Hospitality in the Gulf can be so exuberant that it comes across as intrusive to European sensibilities. Possibly only the pride of hosting got away with the Emir. Perhaps he was also concerned with letting his country shine in Messi’s glory. Maybe it was a little of everything.
In any case, the Emir was insensitive to the custom of leaving the stage of the award ceremony to the sporting winners alone. The grand finale sparked a fitting final controversy for a World Cup that remained a major misunderstanding right to the end.
