Western media campaign against Qatar’s organization of the World Cup 2022: appearances and causes from the point of view of citizens and residents in the state of Qatar

Abstract

Hosting FIFA World Cup is considered a covet by many countries of the world, because of its importance and popularity and the great benefits accruing to the host country in all economic, political and cultural aspects. Qatar won the honor of hosting the 2022 World Cup in late 2010 with an official announcement from FIFA, and since then Qatar has been preparing for this exceptional tournament, which is being held for the first time in the Middle East. On the other hand, the Western media attacked Qatar and questioned its ability to host the tournament. This study aims to find out the manifestations and causes of the Western media's attack on the State of Qatar, against the backdrop of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup. To achieve this, the analytical survey method will be followed, with the questionnaire tool being employed on a random sample of citizens and residents in the State of Qatar. This study has theoretical and practical importance, as its theoretical importance lies in the fact that it provides a literary research contribution in two main fields: media studies and social sciences. As for its practical importance, it provides information and data that benefit the state institutions concerned with this media attack in the State of Qatar, with the aim of developing strategic plans for the media confrontation that are commensurate with the size of this media attack. One of the most important findings of the study is that the coverage of the World Cup in Qatar by Western media was predominantly negative. The newspapers most attacking Qatar during the period of hosting the 2022 World Cup were German newspapers, then followed by the French press, and then the British press. Also, one of the most prominent reasons behind the Western media attack on Qatar is the Western racist tendency towards the Arab and Islamic peoples. Finally, this study is considered one of the first studies that dealt with the phenomenon of Western media attacks on the State of Qatar during the period of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as the event is still exclusive and has not yet taken its time and space for study and analysis. Thus, we hope that this study will be the beginning of more research in this context.