Controversy, controversy & controversy ahead of FIFA World Cup! Is Qatar hiring 'fake fans' for parade?

It seems like more than controversies are being unleashed rather than football news ahead of FIFA World CUp 2022 that will take place in Qatar from November 20. In yet another such report, the Muslim nation has been accused of hiring fake football fans to parade for the cameras ahead of the World Cup tournament.

 

 

Several videos are being surfaced in which hoards of 'Football fans' from various countries filling the streets of Doha. 'Qatar Living', which is largely branded the country's first official community platform on TikTok has been posting these videos showing 'fans' with painted faces holding flags and banners.

 

According to the reports, the Qatari authorities were seen paying migrant workers to dress up in support of different nations.

 

Notably, questions were raised over the authenticity of the videos as it is not clear if the people shown in them are migrant workers who live in Qatar and are parading in the streets to support their team or whether the parades have been staged by authorities.

 

Videos of fans from different countries namely Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Ghana, Cameroon, Tunisia, and England.

 

What doesn't sit right with the videos is the behaviours of the fans which seem staged and curated. Questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the fans on social media.