The most recent controversy surrounding the World Cup in Qatar concerns the dissemination of several photos and videos (including on FIFA’s own platforms) of fans of various teams partying on the streets of Doha. There has been a lot of criticism because they seem to be false fans assuming they were hired.
Elisabeth Reis, leader of the Portuguese national team in Qatar (at the invitation of the organization), who has lived in that country since 2006, responded with a statement.
“No one here in Qatar gets paid to support the Portuguese national team, neither me nor the other fans. You don’t have to be Portuguese to cheer for the Portuguese national team! We have fans of many nationalities, we should be proud of that. We don’t pay anyone to like Portugal or our national team,” he insists.
Check out some examples of photos and videos that spark controversy:
