Several off-field facts catch the eye in this World Cup in Qatar. Even for countries that do not participate in this edition of the World Cup. Case in China in which the country’s state television channel CCTV (Central Television of China) does not show images of supporters during the World Cup.

The reason is not to repost images of people without masks, after this episode provoked outrage among Chinese residents due to the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Another curiosity, there is a delay of 32 seconds in the transmission of the match. CCTV alternates these shots with faces of coaches around the technical area, vibrations of players or wide shots. So far, it has not been discussed whether there is censorship on Chinese territory.

It is also common to notice in social networks the comparison of CCTV games transmission with other broadcasters. Many critics point to this delay of a game. The post that went viral on Twitter was from Mark Dreyer, author of the book “Sports Superpower: An Insider’s Look at China’s Quest to Be the Best”🇧🇷

“Some people still refuse to see this so they decided to track it down. In less than a minute there was this: Close-up shots of Canadian and Croatian fans on the BBC/international channel, replaced by a solo shot by Canadian coach John Herdman on CCTV.”

Other users felt empowered to comment after thought leaders tweeted and aired their views. “Maybe the #Qatar2022 World Cup will have a butterfly effect here. Chinese social media is full of jokes about the football tournament showing people having fun and living their lives normally, unlike endless lockdowns and checks in China.”