Organizers of the Qatar 2022 World Cup defended soccer fans in the Gulf state on Wednesday, described as “fake”, for wearing shirts of major teams during a mass rally in the emirate last week.
Thousands of fans, mostly from India and other South Asian countries, took part in a rally in Doha that drew criticism, with some saying they were being paid to wear the shirts of Argentina, Brazil and England, in what they described as a publicity stunt for the tournament, which starts on Sunday.
The allegations have infuriated Indian fans, who say they have a passion for football.
The Qatar Organizing Committee has entered the controversy by issuing a strong statement in support of the fans, as reported by “Agence France Presse”.
“Many reporters and commentators on social media questioned whether they were real fans,” the statement read.
“We strongly reject these claims, which are disappointing and unsurprising,” he added. “Qatar, and the rest of the world, is made up of a diverse group of soccer fans, many of whom share romantic relationships with multiple countries.”
About 750,000 Indians and 400,000 Bangladeshis live in Qatar, while the population of the Gulf state is no more than 2.9 million.
When the England national team was received at his hotel on Tuesday, the number of Indian fans far outnumbered the number of Britons among the nearly 200 people in attendance.
Indian fans, mostly from the state of Kerala, played drums and horns, proudly wearing English shirts and English flags.
Qatari Indians have expressed their dissatisfaction with media reports and social media posts that spoke of “false fans” in Doha.
“This is humiliating,” said Amin Sharak, who lives in Doha, “there is a lot of frustration.”
Another Indian fan, Sajid, said the community was “outraged” by the news after last Friday’s demonstration. “It’s pure fake news and I would like to say loud and clear that none of us have been paid in any way. We are big England fans,” added Sajid, who identified himself without naming his family.
Qatar expects more than a million visitors to attend the 2022 World Cup over the course of the tournament, including some 70,000 Mexican and 30,000 Argentinian fans, according to these two countries’ embassies.
Organizers said they wanted the event to be “a moment that connects fans around the world, no matter how they choose to support their favorite teams.”
