Mexican Centre promotes public diplomacy during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Doha, The Gulf Observer: With the presence of approximately 100,000 Mexicans for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, a special centre at the Cultural Village Foundation Katara is promoting public diplomacy and providing several services to fans.

As Mexico is one of the countries with the highest number of fans, the Mexico Centre aims to promote Mexican public diplomacy as well as provide several services including consular, health and security services and function as a liaison office for approximately 500 Mexican media personnel who are in Doha during the World Cup, said Alfonso Zegbe, Executive Director of Public Diplomacy, Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Coordinator-General of the Mexican Strategy for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Among the fans around 60,000 to 70,000 fans come from Mexican national territory and others are Mexican descendants or residents in the US, Europe and the Middle East who have traveled here for the World Cup.

Zegbe said that Mexico had already held information sessions in Mexico City, educating fans on laws and regulations in Qatar.

“We have one of the biggest crowds (fans). There is a Mexican presence all over the city,” he said.

“This is a new land for them. There has never been this big number of Mexican people in the Middle East, in a country of Arab culture and Islamic tradition.

So, for us, it was important to accompany them during this process with information, so they could learn about respecting the local culture and the legislation for example,” Zegbe said during an interview with The Peninsula yesterday.

He clarified that the Mexican embassy representative at the International Consular Services Centre would provide information in case of a fan visits there for any requirements and the Mexican Centre in Katara works as a liaison office of the Mexican embassy in Doha and provides all necessary services.

“When there is a big crowd out there celebrating it is very common that they lose their personal belongings and passports among them. So, we have a consular office here in the Center that is very important to issue emergency passports in case of need. And we also provide consular assistance in case if there is whatever misunderstanding either with other nationalities or with Qatari authority,” he said.

Also, medical services are provided at the Mexico Centre in corporation with Hamad Medical Corporation.

Zegbe said that the Centre has been set up in Katara as a result of good relations between Mexico and the Cultural Village, and added “The Center also features art and culture in line with the expectations and requirements of Katara Cultural Village and as part of a strategy of Mexico towards the next World Cup.”