Fancy selfies with ‘Pele’ and ‘Maradona’ in Doha?

An interactive exhibition on South American soccer is drawing World Cup followers – younger and outdated, native and international.

A fan taking a photograph with a life-size statue of Pele holding aloft the World Cup trophy, at an exhibition on South American soccer in Doha, on November 30, 2022 (Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera)

Lacking Maradona’s dribbling expertise or Pele’s goal-scoring genius? Adoring followers can nonetheless pose for selfies with the soccer icons – or life-size statues of them.

What seems like a soccer lover’s dream is definitely an interactive exhibition on South American soccer within the coronary heart of Doha’s Msheireb Downtown space.

The exhibition has been arrange by native tourism authorities in collaboration with the South American Soccer Federation to present followers a style of the area’s wealthy soccer historical past, which continues to encourage supporters internationally. Between Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, South American nations have gained 9 of the earlier 21 World Cups.

The colourful open-air and free-for-all setup is tough to overlook for vacationers or locals strolling by Sikkat Al Wadi, the favored pedestrian road that hosts the exhibition, or for these making their option to Souq Waqif for a flavour of conventional Qatar. It's open from 2pm to 10pm each day through the World Cup in Qatar.

Guests can savour the victories of legends from the continent in addition to check their soccer expertise by taking part in numerous challenges.  Aspiring footballers can test their taking pictures accuracy by attempting to focus on marked corners of a objective. Or they will check their dribbling and juggling expertise whereas a timer is on.

Soccer followers testing their expertise towards one another on the exhibition of South American soccer in Doha on November 30, 2022 [Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera]

Interactive video games

On the eve of the Argentina-Poland match on Wednesday, a younger footballer in a Messi shirt runs between poles within the dribbling problem however loses the ball midway, inviting a Polish fan to say: “I hope that’s how (Lionel) Messi performs tomorrow.”

Argentina beat Poland 2-0, although Messi missed a penalty.

In one other a part of the exhibition, the place goal-scoring velocity is measured, a four-year-old woman, Haya, tries to attain as her dad holds her to assist.

Music from completely different components of South America performs as individuals stroll round and search for on the Tree of Desires, which stands in the midst of the exhibition and carries the names of the area’s well-known footballers.

An intense recreation between kids, two on either side, is beneath manner in a small, enclosed reproduction of a soccer pitch. Dad and mom and different onlookers say “ooh” and “aah” when a younger boy scores a objective simply because the buzzer goes off, indicating full time.

Group shirts signed by gamers of all South American groups taking part on this World Cup are on show on a vibrant balcony designed within the fashion of Brazilian favelas.

Soccer followers stand an opportunity of successful one among these by choosing their all-time best South American workforce in an interactive workforce choice recreation.

A half-yellow, half-blue a part of the exhibition pays homage to 2 of the best footballers the area has produced. Signed shirts, reproduction boots and trophies, and well-known quotes by each Diego Maradona and Pele are neatly divided into their respective sections. Followers cease to stare on the trophies and shirts, then proceed to hitch a queue and get a photograph with the legends’ statues.

Pele’s well-known jersey, on show on the exhibition on South American soccer in Doha, on November 30, 2022 (Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera)

Each World Cup winners have vast smiles on their faces and trophies of their palms. Followers take selfies with their arms across the statues, ask mates to file them having a fake dialog with the gamers or just mimic holding the trophy with them.

These statues are so in style, followers attempt to get images with them even when the exhibition has closed.

“Some individuals cease by after now we have closed for the night time and beg us to allow them to take a photograph with the statues,” one of many safety guards informed Al Jazeera after the exhibition had shut for the night time.

Simply then, an Argentinian fan started pleading with the guard to let him by way of as he had a flight to catch and wouldn't get an opportunity to return again the subsequent afternoon. The guard duly obliged, letting him slip in for a fast selfie.