Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Qatar rejects allegation it has hired fans

Qatar rejects allegation it has hired fans

After days of fan parades in Doha and throngs of people greeting team buses arriving at hotels, World Cup organizers insisted on Wednesday the atmosphere is authentic.
“Numerous journalists and commentators on social media have questioned whether these are ‘real’ fans,” Qatari tournament organizers said in a statement. “We thoroughly reject these assertions, which are both disappointing and unsurprising.”

Many fans who have gathered wearing team colors are originally from India — a cricket-crazed country which never played at a World Cup — and among the large majority of overseas workers in Qatar’s 2.9 million population.

Fans traveling from overseas typically do not arrive at a World Cup until closer to their teams’ first game and the tournament starts on Sunday.

One video clip posted from outside the England team hotel on Tuesday showed fans chanting the line “It’s coming home” from the “Three Lions” fan anthem sung since 1996.

Suggestions that Qatar was hiring people to be fans followed reports this month that tournament organizers were paying all expenses for about 1,600 fans drawn from the 31 visiting teams to travel and sing in the opening ceremony on Sunday before the home team plays Ecuador.

The invited fans must stay for at least two weeks and are encouraged to post positive social media content about Qatar and the tournament, while reporting accounts which post abusive comments online.

The rebuttal Wednesday by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy defended soccer fans living in the country “many of whom share emotional connections with multiple nations.”

“In different places around the world, fans have different traditions, different ways to celebrate, and while that may contrast with what people are used to in Europe or South America, it doesn’t mean the passion for football is any less authentic,” organizers said.

Fans living in Qatar could also buy cheaper match tickets in a category exclusively for residents.

They cost 40 riyals ($11) for each of the 47 group-stage games played after the Qatar-Ecuador opener, compared to the lowest price of 250 riyals ($69) for international visitors.

In a separate development, Qatar’s Supreme Committee said it has apologized after a Danish film crew were threatened by security staff live on air as they broadcast in Doha.

TV2 reporter Rasmus Tantholdt was speaking as part of a live broadcast when he was approached by security staff that had appeared on a golf buggy next to the newly opened Chedi Hotel at Katara Cultural Village.

In the footage, which went viral on social media, Tantholdt is seen remonstrating with the security officials, displaying his accreditation before accusing them of declaring they want to break the camera equipment.

A statement from the Supreme Committee said the Danish broadcast crew were “mistakenly interrupted” during a live broadcast.

“Upon inspection of the crew’s valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity.

“Tournament organizers have since spoken to the journalist and issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament.”

Tantholdt was also caught on camera asking: “You invited the whole world here. Why can’t we film?”

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy was set up by the Qatar government to plan and prepare for the World Cup.

The tournament gets under way on Sunday as Qatar take on Ecuador in the tournament opener.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×