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Sports / Qatar Sport

Crowdsourced photos exhibit Qatar’s passion for football

Published: 18 Jun 2019 - 08:16 am | Last Updated: 03 Nov 2021 - 11:30 pm
Football fans having a closer look at a set of crowdsourced photographs on display at the Qatar @roadto2022 Exhibition at JK Iguatemi Shopping mall in Sao Paulo, Brazil, yesterday.

Football fans having a closer look at a set of crowdsourced photographs on display at the Qatar @roadto2022 Exhibition at JK Iguatemi Shopping mall in Sao Paulo, Brazil, yesterday.

The Peninsula

Football is a powerful tool. It has an unmatched ability to break down social barriers and build bridges across cultures.

At the Qatar @roadto2022 Exhibition – currently being held at JK Iguatemi mall in Sao Paulo, Brazil – a set of crowdsourced photographs highlights Qatar’s passion for the beautiful game and the strong grassroots football culture in the next FIFA World Cup host nation.

The photographs are the result of a collaboration between the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the infrastructure and legacy programmes for the 2022 World Cup, and UK-based Goal Click.

Participants in the project, including those working to deliver the World Cup, community leaders, photographers, football fans and others, were each given a single disposable camera which offered just 27 chances to take the perfect picture. 

The brief for each photographer was simple: capture football in Qatar as you see it. And the results – glorious in their imperfections – are a reminder of what football means to the people of Qatar and how it helps to unite one of the most diverse countries in the world.

Fatma Al Nuaimi, the SC’s Communications Director, said the photographs highlight the important role football plays in Qatar’s society.

“The photographs succeed in showing what football means to people in our country. We’re a diverse nation, with many nationalities and cultures. Football brings everyone together – it doesn’t matter where you come from or what language you speak; we all understand football.”

The project plays into the wider goals of Qatar 2022 – namely to host a tournament which builds bridges between East and West and breaks down cultural stereotypes.

The exhibition features 30 pictures from 20 photographers. The photographers include SC Ambassador – and football legend – Samuel Eto’o, who took a picture which features Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah City. Other photographers include Tamim El Abed, the SC’s Lusail Stadium Project Manager, who took a snap of the venue which will host the Cup final in 2022.

 Maha Al Badr, an ambassador for the SC’s Generation Amazing programme, explained the story behind her picture, which is also featured in the exhibition.

“This photo was taken in our neighbourhood park and features my cousins and their friends. I took the picture because it represents Qatari culture and shows how much we love football. I think football is the only game that everyone in Qatar knows and enjoys playing. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or boy, child or adult, you can play football anytime, anywhere.”

The exhibition runs until 24 June. As well as the Goal Click photographs, there is World Cup memorabilia, models of the eight Qatar 2022 stadiums, details about Qatar’s Asian Cup victory and information about SC Ambassadors.

Located on the 3rd floor of the mall, the exhibition is open every day from 10am to  10pm.