カタールＷ杯で「偽ファン」疑惑、主催者は擁護

【ドーハＡＦＰ＝時事】サッカーＷ杯が行われるカタールで、強豪国のユニホームを着たインドのファンが「ニセモノ」と英国やフランスのメディアから報じられる出来事があった。これを受け、大会主催者は１６日、ファンを擁護するコメントを出した。（写真はカタールＷ杯でイングランド代表を率いるギャレス・サウスゲイト監督）
　カタールの首都ドーハでは先日、大勢のサポーターによるパレードが行われたが、アルゼンチンやブラジル、イングランドのユニホームを着た参加者の多くはインドや東南アジアの出身で、大会の盛り上げのために報酬を支払われたのではないかと疑惑の目が向けられた。
　また、１６日にイングランド代表が宿泊先に到着した際には、ホテルで約２００人が出迎えたが、その場にもイングランド人の１０倍近い数のインド人ファンが集まった。
　インド人のサポーターは、自分たちは大のサッカーファンだと強調し、疑惑をかけられたことに憤りをあらわにしている。
　そうした中でカタールＷ杯の組織委員会は、コメントを発表。厳しい言葉を並べながら、ファンを擁護する姿勢を示した。
　組織委は「多くのジャーナリストやコメンテーターが、ソーシャルメディアで彼らが『本物の』ファンかどうか疑問を呈している」とした上で、「われわれはこれらの主張を断固として拒否する。残念であり、驚くに値しないものだ」と非難。「カタール、そして世界は多様なサッカーファンで構成されている。その多くは複数の国と感情的なつながりを共有している」と主張した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/11/18-12:58）

World Cup organisers on Wednesday came to the defence of Indian fans in Qatar who have been labelled fake for wearing the shirts of football's powerhouse nations.
Thousands of supporters, mainly from India and other South Asian nations, took part in a parade in Doha that sparked suggestions they had been paid to wear Argentina, Brazil and England shirts as a stunt to promote the tournament.
The Indian fans have been outraged by the accusations, insisting they are passionate about the sport.
Now the Qatar organising committee has weighed in, issuing a strongly worded statement, backing the contribution of the fans.
Numerous journalists and commentators on social media have questioned whether these are 'real' fans, the statement said.
We thoroughly reject these assertions, which are both disappointing and unsurprising.
Qatar, and the rest of the world, is comprised of a diverse range of football fans, many of whom share emotional connections with multiple nations.
There are more than 750,000 Indians and 400,000 Bangladeshis in Qatar's population of 2.9 million and they account for a huge number of tickets bought for the World Cup, which starts on Sunday.
Indian fans of England outnumbered local British expatriates by nearly 10 to one in the crowd of about 200 that welcomed the England team to their hotel on Tuesday.
The Indian contingent, mainly from Kerala state, beat drums and blew horns, proudly wearing England shirts and carrying England flags.
They rejected media reports and social media posts focusing on groups of allegedly fake fans in Doha.
This is degrading, there is a lot of frustration, said Ameen Sharak, an Indian resident of Doha, referring to the accusations.
Sajidh, another Indian fan in Qatar, said the community had been outraged by the reports after their parade last Friday.
It is purely fake news and I would like to say loud and clear that none of us have been paid in any way, added Sajidh, who gave only one name. We are diehard England fans.
The Doha march was dominated by supporters from India wearing Argentina, Brazil and England shirts.
Fans who took part said it was organised on social media groups and through WhatsApp.
This has hurt us a lot, said another fan, Anas. People just do not realise how much football excitement there is in Kerala.
We watch the Premier League every weekend. We come from India but they have not qualified so people choose the team they want to support.
Qatar has predicted that more than one million fans will visit the tiny Gulf state during the 29-day tournament. More than 70,000 Mexicans and 30,000 Argentinians are expected, according to their embassies.
The Qatar organisers said they wanted the event to be a moment that connects fans from all over the world, no matter how they choose to support their favourite teams.