However, I didn’t see the same level of anger and outrage when racism, Islamophobia, and orientalism was constantly used against the World Cup in Qatar. The World Cup had the opportunity to showcase to the world our Arab and Muslim culture. This was not about Qatar, it was a regional celebration.

Others on social media were outraged by the criticism of the bisht, saying it was steeped in ignorance and misunderstanding of Qatar’s culture. Sheikh Tamim placed a bisht on Messi during the trophy presentation. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images To others, it was one last attempt for Qatar to stamp its mark on the tournament – a criticism of the “sportswashing” (where critics accused Qatar of using the occasion to paper over its human rights record) that has underpinned much of the coverage of the tournament. The bisht is a long cloak made out of light, often sheer, material with trimming made out of real gold that is worn over a white thobe.Baig said he saw it as “an embrace by Messi of the local culture”, adding that it was “a pretty cool thing” for Qatar to do and “smart thinking” on their behalf. What did the organisers say? People from different walks of life were able to come, experience what was happening here and get to understand that we may not see eye to eye on everything, but we can still celebrate together.”

Messi converted the opening goal from 12 yards after Angel Di Maria was felled by Ousmane Dembele. Di Maria then doubled his nation's lead in the 36th minute converting Alexis Mac Allister's pass. And this is a top occasion. I mean, there’s probably no bigger occasion, so they put it on him as a mark of honour,” he said. CNN reached out to FIFA for comment regarding the decision to use the bisht in the presentation ceremony. Some are mad because Messi wore a bisht (it was gifted to him; a symbol of appreciation and respect in the Arab culture),” writer and columnist Reem Al-Harmi tweeted.Seems a shame in a way that they’ve covered up Messi in his Argentina shirt,” said former England international and presenter Gary Lineker on BBC’s live coverage of the final. Amid the criticism, Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), an organization charged with organizing the World Cup, tried to explain the reasons behind the bisht. It is a dress for an official occasion and worn for celebrations. This was a celebration of Messi,” Al Thawadi told BBC Sport.

We support masters of their craft, whatever their craft may be. Footballers, freestylers, musicians, artists, the list goes on. If you have a passion in which you strive for excellence, The Messi Brand supports you. Precision, the condition or fact of being exact and accurate, is as important to us as it is to you: you settle for nothing but the best when it comes to “ mastering your craft. ” The moment caused quite a stir in the BBC studio with the decision to put Messi in a Bisht leaving them all confused, with Pablo Zabaleta, who played 58 times for Argentina, parctilarly bemused. With Gary Lineker bringing up the topic, Zabaleta who simply replied, "Why, just why? No reason to do that." Welcome to The Messi Store, the exclusive source of the official premium lifestyle brand of soccer legend Leo Messi: The Messi Brand. Our chief brand goal is to extend the core of Leo’s values, vision, and sportsmanship from the pitch to the apparel. The moment that Lionel Messi had been waiting his entire career for finally arrived, as a 4-2 Argentina win on penalties saw him lift the prestigious World Cup trophy. A crazy 3-3 draw in 120 minutes against France saw the game decided on penalties with Gonzalo Montiel converting from 12 yards to crown Argentina as the new world champions.Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary-general of Qatar’s World Cup organising committee, said: “It is a dress for an official occasion and worn for celebrations. This was a celebration of Messi.