Doha, November 27 (QNA) – HE Second Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica and Minister of Sports Mary Munive Angermuller expressed her appreciation for the exceptional arrangements and preparations by the State of Qatar for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, describing them as wonderful and beautiful.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE noted that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 made it possible to meet various nationalities and cultures on the land of Qatar and learn at the same time about the culture and civilization of Qatar, its architecture, museums, and traditional clothing and food, adding that the tournament also made it possible to examine the country’s renaissance, its advanced infrastructure, the hospitality and generosity of its people and its respect for others.
She stressed that everyone is now living this unique experience of the Qatar World Cup, which has become a source of happiness and joy for those who attend it or watch its various activities.
HE Second Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica denounced the organized smear campaigns that Qatar has been subjected to since it won the bid to host the World Cup, describing them as misleading, irresponsible and baseless allegations, adding, in a related context, that she believe that irresponsible journalism exists everywhere and her country Costa Rica is no exception.
She explained that they encountered complications with the press, which might not perform its journalistic role as it should, and they have suffered from it, explaining that such press might be behind this false information against Qatar.
HE confirmed that her arrival and presence in Qatar, her awareness of people’s lifestyle, and the respect and hospitality they provide to their guests, revealed to her the falsity of those campaigns and the incorrect information they broadcast and spread.
She stressed that Qatar’s unique and exceptional World Cup experience deserves to be conveyed to others to tell them: come and see the truth for yourself; try this cultural sharing that is different from what you are used to and enjoy the game and the atmosphere of Qatar, which is very wonderful.
HE added that the truth is that the mere presence in the State of Qatar to be part of the 32 countries participating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the ability to raise the flag of the country in this far part of the World and sing our national anthem among large numbers of different nationalities is a great honor for any athlete, especially for us as representatives of our government. She warned that the fake media campaigns against Qatar and the Qatar World Cup are intended primarily to detract from the real goal of the World Cup, which is to unite everyone to enjoy this global football event.
She emphasized the great importance of this edition of the World Cup, which is being held in the Middle East for the first time, especially in terms of introducing this strategic region of the world and promoting openness and cultural communication between the people of the region and the people of the whole world, pointing out that without the Qatar World Cup, all these crowds of masses and fans would not have come to the region and Qatar in particular to see for themselves and verify the falsity of the media and refute its allegations, and experience at the same time openness and cultural exchange.
She said Costa Rica was no exception, and they are really happy to come to Qatar, explaining that their delegation consists of about two thousand people who came to get to know this region of the world, which would not have been possible without the World Cup in Qatar.
HE hailed the relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Costa Rica. She said the relations began strongly after 2010, noting that the Qatari embassy in the capital, San Jose, was the first embassy of a Middle Eastern country there.
She explained that during her visit to Doha, she met with a number of officials and expressed to them her country’s thanks and gratitude for the assistance provided by Qatar to confront the disaster of Hurricane Otto that struck Costa Rica in 2016, in addition to the medical aid and vaccinations that Qatar provided to Costa Rica with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which enabled Costa Rica to control the pandemic. She affirmed that Costa Rica is grateful to Qatar for all that and will never forget it.
She underlined that the Costa Rican government, which formed 6 months ago, will continue the path of close relations with Qatar, noting that Costa Rica enjoys environmental and cultural richness and looks forward to exchanging experiences with Qatar and continuing to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
Regarding Costa Rica’s participation in this edition of the World Cup, HE Second Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica and Minister of Sports expressed shock and frustration due to the harsh defeat of the Costa Rican team in its first match against Spain, which it lost by 7 goals, but she saw no problem in falling, as the important thing is to get up again and continue progressing.
She stressed that they are with the team and hoped that they appear in a better form in the next two matches against Japan and Germany, emphasizing that just being in Qatar among 32 teams and 200 delegations of FIFA participating the tournament is considered a great honor. (QNA)