World Cup jerseys get mixed reviews ahead of Qatar game
The World Cup jerseys — part of a collection of souvenir-type goods that is on sale in Qatar for up to 150,000 dirhams ($60 USD) per jersey — are being sold by a government “goodwill” program for the duration of the tournament.
But given the intense competition, the decision to promote the team’s jerseys and the quality of the materials in which they are made, they are at best mixed.
The first jersey, bearing the name of the host country’s national team, Qatar, was available to purchase at the Al Quds World Cup store in Doha on Monday.
The white one features the flag and Qatar name in gold on the front, with the word World in blue on the back.
There are also gold versions of the Qatar and the United States national team jerseys on sale, both in white, which feature a “United” in red and the word in white.
The black version of the United States jersey also features “United” in red and the word in white.
White Qatar jerseys also are being sold at the Al Quds World Cup store, as is a black Qatar and yellow United States jersey, which features the word in blue and white.
There is no word on what the Qatar-branded items cost.
A man holding one of the white Qatar, United States and United Kingdom jerseys was asked to stand outside the store with a sign that read “MENA – World’s Best Team.”
In contrast, the orange Qatar, white United States and blue United Kingdom jerseys were all sold by the store in black bags.
“We want to make sure that the public will have the opportunity to enjoy these products,” said Hassan Al Hammadi, a sales assistant who was at the store when the orange U.S. jersey was sold.
“It’s hard to judge how much they are going to be popular. I hope they are going to be purchased by people,” Al Hammadi said.
According to Al Hammadi, the Qatar side is looking to raise money for the World Cup by selling the sponsor banners and “goodwill.” He said the sponsor banners are sold for 70,000 dirhams ($24 USD) a piece.
Asked about the jersey, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) spokesman Muhammad bin Hamad Al Thani said the shirts were a “great marketing tool” to