Qatar hiring fans for Asian Cup

Filed in archive International on May 23, 2007

Ever wanted to be a professional footy fan? Well, some lucky Vietnamese locals will get to do just that, as long as they support Qatar. The oil rich state (looks like a squashed thin version of Michigan, US readers) has been drawn in Group B of the Asian Cup (like the Euro Championships, only for Asian teams) along with Vietnam, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. The tournament is being co-hosted by four teams: Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, with all Group B matches being played at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Due to their relative lack of population, and definite lack of attendance, Qatar is apparently willing to pay around 10,000 people who live near My Dinh Stadium to come out and support their national team. Not sure what the Vietnamese for "Go Qatar!" is, but if the price is right I'm willing to learn.

The locals might feel differently though. It's one thing to buy the support of a neutral fan (I'd be willing because I have no one to root for in the Asian Cup) but what about when Qatar play Vietnam? Will the Vietnamese fans that Qatar have "bought" really be willing to root against their own national team?