Now it’s official: The 2022 World Cup mascot is a character named La’eeb. Many fans are wondering: A relative of Casper the Ghost?
Casper is probably not only well known to most comic fans. The “friendly ghost” first appeared in a 1952 comic book series produced by “Harvey Comics”. He also achieved international fame through several television series and movies. He may also have provided a template for La’eeb, the official mascot of the 2022 World Cup – at least a visual resemblance cannot be entirely denied.
But what about the – now officially confirmed – mascot of the finals in Qatar? It is not supposed to be a ghost, but a “fantasy figure”. La’eeb means “super talented player” in Arabic. According to the motto “Now or never” he should encourage people to believe in themselves. At the same time, he should bring everyone closer to the joy of football. The figure wears the national costume of Qatar and a ball and is deliberately intended to leave room for interpretation.
According to the World Cup host and FIFA, La’eeb comes from a parallel world that is said to be the home of the mascots of all World Cup tournaments. The FIFA website continues: “It’s a world where ideas and creativity form the basis for characters that live in everyone’s mind.”
But even the funny mascot cannot hide the fact that there are major problems off the pitch in the run-up to the World Cup. The way the workers were treated during preparation had caused a stir for years. Strict rules of conduct unsettle the fans before arriving in the desert state. Most recently, World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman made homophobic statements that caused protests around the world.
