Football World Cup: in Milan in Gae Aulenti games on the big screen and exhibition on Qatar

Maxi screens for watching matches, designer armchairs and chairs, wireless headphones that can be booked for free through the Portanuova Milano app. And plaids, to keep on your legs in case it gets too cold. These are the ingredients of the village dedicated to the Qatar 2022 World Cup set up in Milan in Piazza Gae Aulenti. The initiative, which will allow Milanese and tourists to follow the races in an evocative place in the city, is organized by the Consulate General of Qatar in Milan and by the construction company Coima. The inauguration is scheduled for Sunday 20 November at 5 pm, in correspondence with the first match of the World Cup. The program will cover all 28 days of the event, until the final on 18 December.

Until 18 December maxi screen and free exhibition

The giant screen measures 10 meters by 8. Much larger is the football field, accessible to anyone, decorated by the artist Stefano Rossetti. In addition to watching the matches, visitors will have the opportunity to access a major exhibition on the culture and traditions of Qatar, the first Arab country to host a soccer world championship. “We have decided to organize a schedule of events to coincide with the 2022 World Cup in view of the important economic relations between Milan and the State of Qatar” says the consul general in Milan, Abdulla Jassim Al Zeyara. And Manfredi Catella, Founder and CEO of COIMA, comments: “Porta Nuova, and in particular the system of pedestrian spaces in the neighborhood and the Biblioteca degli Alberi, represent a place open to all enlivened by a cultural and civic program with a schedule of over two hundred free annual events”.

Amnesty International’s appeal: “Let’s also talk about rights”

There will be one hundred seats to watch the matches, subject to availability. Participation is free and open to all, both for screenings and for the exhibition, which promises to “accompany visitors to discover the history, places, architecture and natural beauties of Qatar, with works of art, everyday objects and a review of the most used spices in the kitchen”. Riccardo Noury, spokesman for Amnesty International Italy, comments: “Obviously it is legitimate that those who organized the World Cup organize similar events, and it is good that Qatar wants to make its culture known to the world. But it is important that during the period of the event, alongside this type of promotional message, the certainly not edifying reality of respect for fundamental rights in the country is also told: from safety at work to respect for sexual, political and religious identities”.