Footage has emerged of football “supporters” from across the globe filling the streets of the Qatari capital Doha - a week before the tournament kicks off, The Sun reports.
Qatar Living - the country’s first official community platform on TikTok - has been posting videos of “fans” from different countries gathered in their hundreds with flags, painted faces, and banners.
It’s not clear whether the fans are migrant workers who live in Qatar and have been partying early, or whether the parades have been staged by authorities.
One clip shows a sea of supposedly Brazilian fans waving flags and others show supporters from Portugal, Argentina, Ghana, Cameroon and Tunisia.
Another post appears to show English fans chanting and playing the drums as they march through the streets, holding a banner which says: “It’s coming home.”
The behaviour of the supporters appears to be carefully curated and staged - and questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the fans.
Some have accused Qatar of orchestrating the parades using “fake” supporters - and questioned why fans have arrived in their masses more than a week before the start of the World Cup.
Others social media users claimed to have spotted the same “fans” in separate videos showing their support for different countries.
Some also pointed out that there were no female supporters in the crowds.
Vocabulary:
- footage - film or videotape that shows a single event or place.
- gather - to come together in a group.
- behaviour - the way in which one acts or conducts oneself.
- spotted - to see or notice someone or something.
Source: Foxsports