Sheikh snubs shake: Qatari royal refuses to acknowledge female officials with a fist bump during FIFA Club World Cup awards ceremony
- Sheikh Joaan bumped fists with male officials but not female ones in ceremony
- Followed Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL in Qatar yesterday
- When referees Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back approach, he ignores them
- Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani is brother of Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim
A member of Qatar’s royal family refused to acknowledge female officials with a fist bump during a FIFA Club World Cup awards ceremony.
Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani was filmed bumping fists with male officials following Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL in the Club World Cup final in Qatar yesterday.
But, when female referees Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back approach, the Sheikh appears to snub them – with the women following instructions to walk straight past the royal.
Some devout Muslims argue that Islam does not permit physical contact with a person of the opposite sex, with the exception of certain immediate family members.
Sheikh Joaan – who handed out the awards alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday – is the younger brother of Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and is the president of Qatar’s Olympic Committee.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to be held in the controversial Gulf state – making it the first Muslim and Arab country to host the event.
Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani was filmed bumping fists with male officials (pictured) following Bayern Munich ‘s 1-0 victory over Mexico’s Tigres UANL in the Club World Cup final in Qatar yesterday
But, when female referees Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back approach, the Sheikh appears to snub them – with the women walking straight past holding their medals
Sheikh Joaan – who handed out the awards alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino yesterday (pictured walking out together) – is the younger brother of Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and is the president of Qatar’s Olympic Committee
In the footage of the awards ceremony after the match, players including Poland’s Robert Lewandowski and German Joshua Kimmich collect their trophies and fist bump Sheikh Joaan.
After their awards are handed out, a line of mask-clad officials lead by referee Esteban Ostojich begins to approach the podium to collect their medals.
While two of the male referees are seen clearly bumping hands with the Sheikh, Ms Batista and Ms Back walk straight past him without so much as an acknowledgment.
The male official following them also fails to receive a fist bump from the Sheikh – but the final male referee does.
Oil and gas reserves make Qatar one of the world’s richest countries on a per capita basis.
While two of the male referees are seen clearly bumping hands with the Sheikh, Ms Batista and Ms Back walk straight past him without so much as an acknowledgment
Referee Edina Alves Batista and assistant referee Neuza Back did not receive a fist bump from Sheikh Joaan – but their male counterparts did
But religion and law make it seem a hotbed of human rights abuses to many western eyes.
As with some other countries in the region, sex outside of marriage is illegal and victims of sexual assault may be arrested, detained and prosecuted for adultery.
Homosexuality can be punished by death and any public display of affection is against the law. Men outnumber women by more than three to one.
Earlier this month it was revealed that David Beckham has signed a lucrative deal to be Qatar’s media-friendly face.
Two female referees fail to receive fist bumps from Qatar’s Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani (pictured) but their male counterparts do
The former England football captain is believed to have been offered at least £10 million to be the country’s ambassador, with a major role in promoting next year’s World Cup there.
But Beckham, who in 2007 announced he was ‘very honoured to have the tag of gay icon’, risks condemnation for cutting a deal with a country where homosexuality is illegal and, under sharia law, punishable by imprisonment, flogging or even death.
Sources close to the deal are understood to be discussing a strategy to announce an agreement, after concerns that Qatar’s poor image could tarnish the carefully cultivated Brand Beckham.
Players including Poland’s Robert Lewandowski and German Joshua Kimmich (pictured) collect their trophies and fist bump Sheikh Joaan – before posing for photographs
As well as claims of human rights abuses and corruption, the Middle East state’s treatment of gay people has led to it being named as the second most dangerous country to visit for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sex outside of marriage for heterosexual couples also carries a prison sentence of seven years in jail.
Sources say, however, that Beckham, 45, has been assured that the country is relaxing its policy on such issues.
David Beckham with Nasser-Al Khelaifi at a game in Qatar in 2019. But Beckham, who in 2007 announced he was ‘very honoured to have the tag of gay icon’, risks condemnation for cutting a deal with a country where homosexuality is illegal
Talks between Beckham’s advisers and the Qatari committee in charge of World Cup preparations have been ongoing for more than a year. After discussing options, including the sponsorship of his US soccer team Inter Miami, they are believed to have settled on a personal deal with the star. One Qatari source said: ‘This is a deal that is supposed to be top secret. It is being kept quiet until there is an opportunity to land it without David’s PR being affected too much.
‘Well, that’s the hope anyway. Qatar are very much in his hands. There are concerns about his reputation but there is enough money on the table for the optics not to matter so much.
‘That said, it will be officially landed at an opportunistic time.’
Another source said: ‘David has so many big-money deals, you do wonder why he would want one like this.’
A major concern could be the reaction to any deal with Qatar among the ex-footballer’s numerous high-profile homosexual friends, including Sir Elton John, who hosts him on his yacht in the South of France every summer.
Beckham, who is worth an estimated £360 million, is known to be a frequent visitor to the Gulf state – he ended his playing career with Qatar-owned French team Paris Saint-Germain in 2013.
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