The FIFA World Cup is all set to start on November 20, 2022 in Qatar. This will be the first-ever Football World Cup to occur in any of the Arab countries. While fans are gearing up for the mega event, a social media post dictating the dos and don’ts for the football fans visiting the country is doing the rounds online. Many social media users claim that not following these rules will land the accused in serious trouble.
The poster, written in English and Arabic, lists various activities (like drinking, homosexuality, profanity, immodesty, loud music, dating, disrespecting holy places, and clicking other people’s pictures without their permission) as a punishable offence.
A Facebook user posted the viral photo with a caption: Going to Qatar for the World Cup games? Better know the rules before you go. Otherwise, straight to jail!
You can check the photo here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral video, and found it to be false.
Looking closely at the viral image, we can see #Reflect_Your_Respect written at the bottom left corner. Searching online for the same led us to a Twitter account أظهر احترامك (English translation: Show your respect). The profile picture of the account matches the logo used in the poster and the bio of this account reads: We contribute to the consolidation of Islamic values and principles that support the Qatari identity. Scrolling through their profile, we found the viral image in a tweet published by the account on October 1, 2022.
We also came to know that Reflect your respect is a campaign started by a group of Qatari women to preserve their culture and values by promoting modesty and preventing immoral behaviour.
Also, the official website of Qatar government, under the cultural awareness tab, has highlighted some guidelines for drinking alcohol, PDA, photography, and services, issued by the government, for visitors during the world cup. But none of them has stated that these activities are illegal in the country. These guidelines are completely different from the viral poster.
A tweet, dated October 6, 2022, published on @Roadto2022en — the Official account for Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022™, clarifies that the viral image has not been issued by the authorities and contains factually incorrect information.
— Road to 2022 (@roadto2022en) October 6, 2022
Therefore, we can conclusively say that the viral claim about guidelines to the visitors for FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar, is false.
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