Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Tuesday held talks with Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, his Qatari counterpart, before attending the World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia at the invitation of FIFA.
PM Orbán praised the idea of cultures meeting and competing “under the same rules of the game in the same sport”. PM Orbán told Qatari journalists on Tuesday that the World Cup in Qatar had not only been spectacular but exciting too. Qatar, he added, spent money “to host the whole world”, and he praised the way the event had been organised. The prime minister noted the significance of the World Cup being held in an Arab country. “If in Rome, do as the Romans do,” he said, and it was good that guests were expected to respect the local customs and way of thinking. This, he added, was important both in the context of football and in terms of obtaining a different outlook on life.