Qatar organisers defend fans accused of being ‘fake’
DOHA: World Cup organisers on Wednesdaycametothedefenceof Indian fans in Qatar who have been labelled “fake” for wearing the shirts of football’s powerhouse nations. Thousands of supporters, mainlyfromIndiaandotherSouth Asian nations, took part in a parade in Doha that sparked suggestions they had been paid to wear Argentina, Brazil and England shirts as a stunt to promote the tournament.
The Indian fans have been outraged by the accusations, insisting they are passionate about the sport. Now the Qatar organising committeehasweighedin, issuing a strongly worded statement, backing the contribution of the fans. “Numerous journalists and commentators on social media havequestionedwhethertheseare ‘real’ fans,” the statement said. “We thoroughly reject these assertions, which are both disappointing and unsurprising.
“Qatar, and the rest of the world, is comprised of a diverse range of football fans, many of whom share emotional connections with multiple nations.”
There are more than 750,000 Indiansand400,000Bangladeshis inQatar’spopulationof2.9million and they account for a huge number of tickets bought for theWorld Cup. Indian fans of England outnumberedlocalBritishexpatriates by nearly 10 to one in the crowd of about 200 that welcomed the England team to their hotel.
The Indians beat drums and blew horns, proudly wearing England shirts and carrying Englandflags. Theyrejectedmedia reports and social media posts focusing on groups of allegedly
“fake fans”. “This is degrading, there is a lot of frustration,” said Ameen Sharak, an Indian resident of Doha. The Doha march was dominated by supporters from India wearing Argentina, Brazil andEnglandshirts. Fanswhotook partsaiditwasorganisedonsocial media groups and through WhatsApp. “This has hurt us a lot,” said another fan, Anas. “People do not realise how much football excitement there is in Kerala. We watch the Premier League. We come fromIndiabuttheyhavenotqualified so people choose the team they want to support.”