The flags of participating countries in the 2022 FIFA World Cup are hung along a street in Doha
The organisers of the World Cup in Qatar are paying groups of fans to travel to the tournament, saying they are asking them for positive comments on social media in return.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) confirmed the policy of inviting groups of supporters to the finals as guests after reports by Dutch public broadcaster NOS, which said on Sunday that Qatar was paying for flights and hotels for a group of 50 Dutch fans.
In return, these supporters have had to sign a “code of conduct” urging them to post favourable comments about the tournament on social media and to report “any offensive, degrading or abusive comments” by others to the SC, preferably with screenshots.
The broadcaster cited two Dutch fans who said they had been selected by the tournament’s organisers as Fan Leaders and who added that they had been asked to pick a group of 50 loyal supporters for the free trip to Qatar.