FIFA World Cup 2022: Who is the mascot for the tournament in Qatar?
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup set to begin in Qatar on November 20, a lot of eyes are set to be on the face of the tournament — mascot La'eeb.
La'eeb, which translates to 'super-skilled player' in Arabic, was presented to the world during the group stage draw earlier this year. It is inspired by the keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men.
During the unveiling ceremony in Doha on Apri 1l, the 15th FIFA World Cup mascot was introduced to the world through an animated video.
La’eeb is here to share his love of football with fans worldwide!
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Launching La'eeb, FIFA said in a statement (via Sportstar):
"La'eeb will be known for his youthful spirit; spreading joy and confidence everywhere he goes. La'eeb comes from a parallel world where tournament mascots live. It is a world where ideas and creativity form the basis of characters that live in the minds of everyone."
According to the creators of the zestful mascot, La'eeb is adventurous, funny and curious and encourages everyone to believe in themselves. He's said to hail from an indescribable parallel mascot-verse.
Here are the other FIFA World Cup mascots:
England, 1966 — World Cup Willie
Mexico, 1970 — Juanito
West Germany, 1974 — Tip and Tap
Argentina, 1978 — Gauchito
Spain, 1982 — Naranjito
Mexico, 1986 — Pique
Italy, 1990 — Ciao
USA, 1994 — Stryker
France, 1998 — Footix
Korea/Japan, 2002 — Ant, Kaz & Nik
Germany, 2006 — Goleo Vi & Pille
South Africa, 2010 — Zakumi
Brazil, 2014 — Fuleco
Russia, 2018 — Zabivaka
The #FIFAWorldCup vibes are IMMACULATE 🥳🇶🇦
#Qatar2022 https://t.co/nh6FvQOxIb
Jamie Carragher calls out FIFA for decision to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
Speaking on CBS Sports, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher hit out at FIFA's decision to alter the timing of the FIFA World Cup from summer to winter to accommodate hosts Qatar. He said:
"I think it's an absolute disgrace that the World Cup is in the position that its in. I think, it was corrupt that Qatar were given the World Cup. They campaigned on having it in the summer. It is impossible there to have a World Cup in the summer with the temperature."
Carragher pointed out how multiple international players are doubts for the competition without a proper recovery period. He added:
"It gets moved to the situation where it is now in the middle of the season. Players all around Europe and the world could get injured in the next few weeks; [Raphael] Varane was crying coming off the pitch at Stamford Bridge. That's how close we are to a World Cup."
Although Varane has been handed a France call-up, a host of players have been ruled out of the tournament with injuries. Presnel Kimpembe, N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Tecatito Corona, Mikel Oyarzabal, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane, Marco Reus, and Timo Werner are a few such big names.