Does sport correspond to what politics has spoiled in the Arab world? – Sunrise online

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Wednesday that 22 teams from the Arab world will participate in the “FIFA Arab Cup” tournament from December 1 to 18, 2021 at World Cup stadiums in Qatar.

This announcement comes in a politically charged atmosphere in the Arab region, starting with the dispute over the declaration of several Arab countries (the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan) to normalize their relations with the Israeli occupation to the detriment of the cause. Palestinian.

In addition to these differences, the Gulf crisis that resulted from the boycott of four Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) of the State of Qatar in June 2017, as well as the war in Syria, regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the freezing of Syria’s membership in the Arab League since the end of 2011.

Also, the divergent position vis-à-vis the Libyan crisis has given rise to sharp differences between several Arab countries, in addition to the division of Arab positions concerning the crisis between the Polisario Front and the Moroccan occupation in the region of Guerguerat, which erupted this month and is mainly linked to the struggle of the Saharawi people to extract their right to self-determination on their lands, as this issue has affected relations between Algeria, Morocco and other Gulf countries.

Director expected FIFAMay the regional tournament in Qatar bring together millions of football fans from across the Middle East and the Arab world.

FIFA has confirmed that the tournament will see the participation of 22 Arab teams from Africa (12 teams) and Asia (10 teams), and that all Arab teams have announced their consent to participate.

Sport is seen as a tool to bring people together in an atmosphere of peace, of honest and fraternal competition, but with all these crises in the Arab world, the establishment of this championship, with the participation of all the Arab teams, is an exceptional event at this time, because it indicates the victory of sportsmanship over political conflicts.

This tournament is also seen as an opportunity for Arab fans to enjoy watching their national teams in the light of pure sporting competition, far from any political calculation.

Will sport prove this time also that it is the effective solution to reform what is corrupted by politics in Arab countries?