BBC stops broadcasting World Cup opening ceremony with BTS Jungkook’s performance… “Outrageously disrespectful”
BBC was criticized for suspending the broadcast of the opening match.
Ecuador won 2-0 in the “2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup” opening match against Qatar at Al Bayt Stadium, Qatar at 1 AM on Nov 21st (KST).
The official opening ceremony was held before the match, and this event was even more special for Korea. It was because BTS Jungkook performed. Jungkook sang “Dreamers”, the theme song of the Qatar World Cup. When the second verse came out, he performed with Fahad Al Kubaisi, the most popular singer in Qatar.
However, BBC stopped broadcasting just 2 minutes after the opening ceremony and streamed through an online website. Instead of broadcasting the opening match, BBC aired the soccer program “Match of the Day (MOTD)”. MOTD’s host Gary Lineker said, “The Qatar World Cup is the most controversial World Cup in history.“
He added, “From accusations of corruption in the bidding process to the treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums, where many lost their lives. Homosexuality is illegal here, women’s rights and freedom of expression are in the spotlight, also the decision six years ago to switch the World Cup from summer to winter.” Although BBC did not officially explain why the broadcast was suspended, Lineker’s words showed that there was criticism against Qatar and FIFA.
In response, broadcaster Piers Morgan pointed out that BBC’s decision was wrong. Morgan wrote on Twitter, “Outrageously disrespectful to Qatar that the BBC didn’t broadcast the World Cup opening ceremony, and instead put out more virtue-signaling guff about how awful it is. If they’re that appalled, they should bring home their vast army of employees & spare us this absurd hypocrisy.“
It received attention as the first winter World Cup in history, but the opening ceremony and the opening match were below expectations. Host country Qatar was dragged by Ecuador all the time. In the end, Enner Valencia scored 2 goals in the first half alone, and the home crowd even left the stadium after the first half.
Source: Daum
