Does everyone remember the face masks we all wore during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic? At one point, the whole world was forced to wear these masks as a security measure against the deadly virus.
Now with the virus having a vaccine to fight against it, and the rate of deaths has significantly reduced, the rest of the world does not have to wear a mask anymore. Now, with the World Cup that is held in Qatar, most spectators are not wearing face masks, unfortunately, China is still one of the few nations where it is still required.
Fans on Twitter made a fuss about spectators not wearing masks. Some are comparing Qatar’s situation to China’s. They are accusing the strict country (China) of remaining backwards. There were talks about factory workers in China rioting due to their restricted movements.
However, other than China, there are some World Cup players that are using these masks. These masks are different from what the normal Covid masks look as they are compared to look similar to Hannibal Lecter, the infamous fictional cannibal. Unfortunately, they are not fashionable items, they are meant to be protective devices.
The masks are made of polycarbonate and protect athletes who have suffered facial injuries, allowing them to continue playing without risk of further injury. Some are 3D printed to precisely fit a scan of each athlete’s face contours.
The players affected by these masks
Josko Gvardiol, who is regarded as Croatia’s golden man, wore a black face mask similar to what Son Heung-Min wore after the South Korean’s eye socket injury. Gvardiol wore his mask in a match against Morocco and Canada.
Regardless of his injuries, Gvardiol is praised for his excellent skills and his whopping pass rate at 88%. Fans are also speculating that he might be joining Manchester United, even after the whole controversial Ronaldo debacle.
The center-back for RB Leipzig collided with his teammate Willi Orban earlier this month. He had broken his nose and had suffered minor facial and eye injuries. He decided to wear that said mask to protect his face from more injuries.
Next on the list is Iranian Alireza Beiranvand, he wore a mask after suffering and collapsing after an injury while playing against England. He then had a heated argument during Iran’s 6-2 loss against England.
Fans are happy that Beiranvand is back and well, but they are still harsh towards the Iranian goalie and said that he needs to improve his game. Other fans are concerned about his concussion and hopes that he waits until he’s fully healed before devouring himself in another heated match.
The last player on the list is Ellyes Skhiri, from Tunisia. He wore a mask in Group D matches against Australia and Denmark. The FC Köln midfielder is recovering from a broken cheekbone sustained in late October.
Most of the comments from fans were written in French. However, they were mainly French fans that were slightly against the Tunisian fans for making lewd remarks that they will beat France in this year’s World Cup.
Here are more stories related to the FIFA World Cup.