“Qatar has a lot of genuine football fans from India” – World Cup 2022 CEO Nasser Al Khater

Most of the fans were from KeralaDismissed allegations of ‘paid fans’Football number one sport in Kerala

WHAT HAPPENED? CEO of the 2022 World Cup, Nasser Al Khater, has responded to allegations that “paid fans” were organising fan rallies in Doha ahead of the World Cup. He dismissed the claims and suggested that a majority of those fans turned up from Kerala, a state in South India, who are known to be very passionate about football.

WHAT THEY SAID? Speaking to media, Nasser Al Khater said, “They are mostly from the Indian community (in Qatar) and those from the south of India especially. I know that in Kerala, football is the number sport. Everyone thinks that cricket is the number one sport but football actually is the number one sport there.

“We have a lot of genuine supporters in Qatar who are from the south of India. They love football and they are genuine fans. We know that they have tournaments that are professionally organised. They have sponsorships, they have a lot of support behind them, organised on a weekly basis and they are true fans of football.”

STORY IN TWO PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT FOR QATAR? Hosts Qatar will make their first-ever World Cup appearance against Ecuador in the tournament curtain-raiser on November 20.