One member of the Qatari royal family made heads turn when he refused to acknowledge females at the FIFA world cup ceremony.
According to media reports, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani was pictured bumping his fists alongside other male officials. But when it came to females, it appeared as if he was deliberately ignoring them for a particular reason.
The eyebrow-raising incident took place following the match between the Tigres UANL and Bayern Munich, which the latter won with a 1-0 victory recently.
When it came time to acknowledge the female referees such as Neuza Back and Edina Alves Batista- the royal simply failed to acknowledge them at all. Instead, cameras caught him snubbing the women. Moreover, the women appeared to be following some sort of instructions to walk right past the royal without saying anything.
On the other hand, some Muslim devotees argued how the religion of Islam doesn’t allow any form of physical contact with members of the opposite sex. However, there is one exception for immediate family members of course.
According to local media reports, the Qatari royal was invited as a guest for handing out prestigious awards, alongside the FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He is the younger sibling of Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Also, he is renowned as the head of the country’s Olympic committee.
The famous FIFA World Cup for the year 2022 will soon be held in the gulf country, giving the country the recognition and honor of being the first Arab as well as the Muslim nation to host the auspicious event.
In the viral footage that went on air, you can clearly see the royal bumping fists as well as collecting their trophies from Sheikh Joaan. Soon, mask-clad officials follow behind with referee Esteban Ostojich taking lead. While two male referees clearly bump hands and meet the Sheikh, the females get zero acknowledgment.