A TikToker claims to have found proof that Qatar has 'paid' football fans to attend the World Cup despite the country denying the reports.
As the World Cup geared up to begin in Qatar on 20 November, rumours began to swirl online that many of those cheering in the stands and milling about the stadiums aren't the fans they claim to be.
The speculation began after a video of Indian expats cheering on the England team went viral, showing the fans shouting 'it's coming home' and declaring praise for members of the team.
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Now TikToker Jon-Bernard Kairouz has added fuel to the fire by interviewing a number of apparent fans in Qatar and asking whether they'd been paid to attend the event.
The video involves numerous fans wearing Brazil shirts, none of who were actually from Brazil.
The interviewees instead claimed to be from India and Bangladesh, and responded 'yes' when asked if Fifa 'paid' them to be there.
One fan said they were actually an Argentina fan, but claimed he had been 'paid' to be a Brazil fan while in Qatar.
Kairouz appeared to try and further prove that the fans were fake by asking them to share their favourite player, with one footballer in particular coming up top every time - Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior.
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"Has to be Neymar," Kairouz commented after hearing the name multiple times.
Neymar is the second highest goalscorer for Brazil after first debuting for the team when he was just 18 years old. After so many years presumably watching him play, however, it's interesting to note the fans weren't able to name another member of the Brazilian team.
One interviewee went as far as to claim they were 'not a fan of football', instead revealing that cricket was their sport of choice.
Kairouz's video has received mixed responses from TikTok users, with some describing the revelations in the video as 'sad' while others claimed the video had been edited to make the fans appear fake.
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The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has already denied claims of fake fans as speculation grew online, saying in a statement that fans have come together for the event.
“Fans from all over the world – many of whom have made Qatar their home – have contributed to the local atmosphere recently, organising fan walks and parades throughout the country, and welcoming the various national teams at their hotels," the committee wrote.
"Numerous journalists and commentators on social media have questioned whether these are ‘real’ fans. We thoroughly reject these assertions, which are both disappointing and unsurprising.”
LADbible has reached out to Fifa for comment.
Emily Brown