Just as many fans have been grudgingly coming to terms with football’s new reality, Qatar Sports Investments shelled out the £198m to transfer Neymar from Barcelona. This hardly came as a surprise. Neymar is a phenomenal talent. But it is important to understand what lies behind this: governments from across Asia have been targeting football for some time as a means of building their global soft power and boosting their images.

Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that it is reopening its border with Qatar to allow Qataris to attend the hajj, despite a monthslong rift between Doha and four Arab countries led by Riyadh that prompted both sides to trade accusations of politicizing the pilgrimage.

Doha-based beIN Sports, a succes­sor to the Al Jazeera Sports network, has been a mainstay in the homes of many football-loving Arabs. [...] However, the political dispute be­tween Qatar and Egypt, Saudi Ara­bia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in June opened the door for other Arab networks to chal­lenge beIN’s stranglehold on sports broadcasts.

"The announcement of Neymar's transfer to PSG was piloted among the high ranks in Qatar as a sort of communications strategy that would overshadow the debate around all other considerations, namely terrorism," said Mathieu Guidere, an expert in the geopolitics of the Arab world.

Turkey asked Qatar, which has been under a blockade by Arab countries since June, to join hands for sustainable food production, the Turkish economy minister said Thursday. Nihat Zeybekci, proposed that Turkey, instead of sending finished goods to Qatar, could send raw materials, which Qatar could process at its own plants.

Speaking at the opening session of the international conference on threats facing freedom of expression, Dr Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri said that it was unacceptable to impose mass sanctions against civilians or journalists for any political differences. Officials from over 200 international rights groups, press syndicates, think-tanks and universities are taking part in the two-day conference at Ritz Carlton Doha.

The Gulf crisis has hit the eighth week of its diplomatic standoff. Prior to the trade siege, and right after the Qatar News Agency cyber-attack that U.S. intelligence officials now attribute to the UAE, the media voice between the parties involved was vehement. [...] Qatar’s communications have capitalized on three elements: 1) show concern; 2) prove that Qatari leaders are in control; and 3) display commitment to stakeholders.