– It is because of Messi. We love Messi, Rashad Pilakkal tells the AP news agency. The Indian migrant worker was one of many ardent soccer supporters who jubilantly marched through Doha on Friday. Pilakkal has lived and worked in Qatar for the past nine years. – Argentina is going to win the World Cup. “Vamos”, Argentina!, says Pilakkal. Another Indian, Rashiq, says that England is his favourite. – I come from India. I have been working in Qatar for nine years now. I love English football, so I support England. We all come from Kerala in India, he says. It is rare for Qatari authorities to allow public parades, but on Friday thousands of people dressed in the costumes of Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, England filled the streets. Hello Brazil! Hello Argentina! Hello Portugal! Hello France! What most of the supporters had in common was that they did not come from these countries, AP writes. Al Jazeera, which is a state-owned channel in Qatar, has also discussed the case. They claim that a group called Argentina Fans Qatar participated in the rally, and that they have 4,000 supporters from various nations. According to Al Jazeera, there will be talk of Indians, Sri Lankans and Nepalese among others. – The foreign workers in Qatar love football and have bought many tickets. This is the first World Cup in an Arab nation, but in many ways also the first World Cup in South Asia, says an anonymous organizer to AFP. – Who do they think they are fooling? In social media, several have accused the parade of being a PR stunt by the Qatari authorities. news’s sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt can hardly believe the pictures coming out of Qatar eight days before the championship starts. – This is so far out. Who do they think they are fooling? he asks, referring to the Qatari authorities. – This will denigrate the concept of PR. PR must have something positive in it. This ridicules fan culture. It is so embarrassing for those who invented this, Saltvedt continues. COMMENTATOR: Jan Petter Saltvedt. Photo: ALEM ZEBIC / news He reminisces about the Athletics World Championships in Qatar in 2019, where the organizer was criticized for smiling stands. The next day, large numbers of migrant workers were bussed to the stadium to fill the seats. – I’m waiting for someone to reveal that this is a gigantic humor stunt. If this event had not destroyed all concepts of what a World Cup should be from before, we got it once and for all now. Everything is wrong here, believes Saltvedt, who clarifies that he has great understanding that they choose to stand in the parade. In a response from the Qatari authorities to news, they ask for proof of the claims that the parade is rigged and what they describe as rumors from social media. – I am proud to have built the stadiums The supporters walked past, among other things, the royal palace in Doha, where it is usually forbidden to take pictures. The vast majority of those present were men, many with apparently brand new kits with either “Messi 10”, “Neymar 10” or “Ronaldo 7” on the back. However, one of the supporters AP spoke to from the train was from Brazil. Sergio Pereira says that this will be his tenth World Cup. – It has all the elements to become one of the WCs of all time. Come here. If you haven’t decided whether you want to come to Qatar, there is still time. The people here are so nice, the infrastructure is beautiful, he says. Ghana is one of the few countries that will actually play in the World Cup, but at the same time has several migrant workers in Qatar. – It feels good to be part of history. Build infrastructure for the WC and be part of the process. I am proud to have built the stadiums, an unnamed Ghana supporter told football website Goal. HELLO GHANA: Several Ghanaians have helped build the World Cup facilities in Qatar as migrant workers. Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP It has previously been revealed how Qatar pays fans from World Cup-ready countries to come to the country. The journey and match tickets will be covered. It is not known whether the people who participated in the parade were paid to stand. Qatar is constantly criticized for its treatment of migrant workers, who human rights organizations believe live and work in slave-like conditions.
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