Qatar defiant on enforcing strict public modesty laws

been left half-built. Supporters have been warned against breaking Qatar’s strict modesty laws by taking off their shirts during matches, with official Fifa guidance warning them that “body tattoos and body paint do not constitute clothing”.

Qatar opened the tournament last night with a glittering opening ceremony featuring camels, giant cartoon mascots and Morgan Freeman, the Hollywood actor, who delivered an apparently defiant message on behalf of the hosts.

“Instead of seeing another way, we rejected it and insisted on our own way,” Freeman said.

“How can so many countries come together if only one way is accepted? With tolerance and respect we can live together in one big tent. A Bedouin tent.”

However, the opening ceremony was performed in front of hundreds of empty seats after fans were caught in traffic gridlock outside the £650million Al Bayt stadium. Gianni Infantino, the Fifa chief executive who this weekend accused the West of “hypocrisy” over its criticism of Qatar, watched the ceremony beside Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince accused of ordering the assassination of exiled dissident

‘With tolerance and respect we can live together in one big tent. A Bedouin tent’

journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Former England captain David Beckham, who has been criticised for his reported £10million role as an ambassador for Qatar, was also in attendance alongside the presidents of Egypt, Turkey and Algeria, and the United Nations Secretary-general.

Qatar lost the match 2-0 in front of a purple-clad home crowd dominated by male fans.