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The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, made a point on Tuesday of getting himself photographed waving the flag of Saudi Arabia during the Saudi match against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament.
The show of friendly support was part of a charm offensive that included inviting the de facto chief executive of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to attend the tournament in his country.
Watch: #Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad is seen carrying #SaudiArabia’s flag and draping it around his neck during the Kingdom’s match against Argentina at the FIFA #WorldCup.https://t.co/G450866hTh pic.twitter.com/YB0Pj08uJS
Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) November 22, 2022
The Saudi team went on to defeat Argentina by a score of 2-1, a stunning upset commemorated in dramatic terms by the New York Times (NYT) on Tuesday:
For Argentina, losing to Saudi Arabia, 2-1, was not just a defeat; it was an embarrassment, an ignominy, a stigma scarred into Argentine skin in front of 88,000 people, streamed live on television and beamed around the world. By the end, as the delirious Saudi substitutes swarmed onto the field, Argentina’s players seemed visibly diminished, their faces drawn, their eyes haunted.
The NYT poured some lemon juice on that nice Argentinian paper cut by recalling MBS himself doubted the Saudi team would fare well at the World Cup, advising them to focus on “enjoying themselves” than collecting trophies.
MBS arrived in Qatar with an impressive retinue of senior officials and diplomats. The Saudi ruler sent a cable expressing “profound thanks and appreciation” to al-Thani for the invitation.
HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his attendance at the opening ceremony of the #FIFAWorldCup 2022 tournament, at the invitation of H.H the Emir of the State of #Qatar at Al Bayt Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha. pic.twitter.com/JBs64X1Lfd
— Foreign Ministry ???? (@KSAmofaEN) November 20, 2022
The friendly exchanges between MBS and al-Thani marked a considerable improvement from Saudi-Qatari relations only a few years ago, which were so tense that Saudi Arabia’s partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) felt obliged to assure reporters their goal was not “regime change” in Qatar.
