The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Screen star helps open World Cup
Morgan Freeman sought to provide a dose of Hollywood gravitas as the 2022 World Cup was officially opened in Qatar. The Oscar-winning actor, known for his roles in The Shawshank Redemption and Million Dollar Baby, narrated the opening ceremony initially on a video before appearing in the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium.
He told the crowd: “We gather here as one big tribe and Earth is the tent we all live in.”
Men dancing with swords, camels and a parade of World Cup mascots also featured in the ceremony to open the competition.
Dreamers, from the official World Cup soundtrack, was performed by BTS superstar Jung Kook and Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi. The lyrics include: “Look who we are, we are the dreamers, we’ll make it happen because we believe it.”
Qatar has spent more than $200 billion (£177.7bn) on infrastructure since 2010.
Freeman appeared later to tell the crowd: “Football spans the world, unites nations in their love of the beautiful game.
“What brings together nations also brings together communities.
“We all have a story on football and how it brought us together and this land has a story of its very own.”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino was in attendance alongside Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, and Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the driving force behind the country’s World Cup bid.
T“There are significant concerns about human rights
he decision in 2010 to award the World Cup to Qatar sparked immediate controversy that has persisted ever since. There are, of course, legitimate concerns over the logistics of hosting a sporting event in a country where the temperature can be extreme.
More troubling has been allegations of bribery and corruption among the Fifa officials who voted for Qatar.
And there are also significant concerns about Qatar’s record on human rights.
We must hope the public debate will help change attitudes and improve protections towards migrant workers and those in the LGBT+ community who are subject to discrimination simply because of who they are.
It must also be said, however, that the Qatari backlash has been much greater than against 2018 World Cup venue Russia and recent Olympic hosts China.
Both are regimes where the threats to freedom and democracy are far greater. Are some more comfortable picking a fight with a small Middle East state than a nuclear superpower? In the battle of principles, that should not matter.