In the final round of group matches of the World Cup final week, Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2, but failed to advance to the round of 16 along with Spain, who have the same four points, due to a goal difference disadvantage. The irony of the recent scene on a Qatari TV program, in which several guests mimicked Germany's group photo gesture from the first match - covering their mouths and waving to the camera - was as if to mock the 2014 World Cup-winning team, which left the tournament in the group stage for the second consecutive time.
It all started when Germany's starting eleven posed for a group photo against Japan and collectively covered their mouths for the camera as a protest against FIFA's ban on "rainbow armbands" for team captains. The armbands are intended to promote anti-discrimination and support for sexual minorities. The FIFA warned the captains concerned that they would face at least a yellow card if they insisted on wearing the armbands. Eventually, the teams abandoned the plan.
And on the Qatari TV program, the guests once again made mouth-covering gestures and waved their hands, but this time for the exact opposite purpose, as they appeared to satirize Germany's exit and urged the players to go home early. It's worth noting that before the World Cup opened, the German team had criticized the human rights situation in Qatar, which caused strong resentment from the Qatari authorities. Now, the German team seems to be experiencing a "revenge".
