The prime minister canceled his trip to Qatar to watch Portugal play against South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Friday due to health reasons, an official source in his office told Lusa on Wednesday.
António Costa will be replaced by Ana Catarina Mendez, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who is in charge of sports, the same source added.
After defeating Ghana (3:2) in the first round, Portugal beat Lusail Uruguay (2:0) on Monday thanks to a brace from Bruno Fernandez (54 and 90+3 minutes, second penalty). ensuring their presence in the 1/8 finals of the competition.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, attended the first match of the Portuguese team, and the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, who is the second figure in the state, attended the match on Monday.
The presence of top government officials in Qatar has been controversial due to the criticism that Marcelo and Costa have expressed about human rights violations in that country, however, maintaining planned trips, which, in the case of the head of government, are currently canceled, but as of health.
