Guests invited to watch the World Cup for free in Qatar are not allowed to speak ill of the host country.

According to the New York Times, the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) confirmed in early November that it had invited nearly 1,600 tourists from around the world to Qatar to watch the 2022 World Cup for free. The target audience is social media influencers and football fan group leaders from 32 countries with teams participating in the group stage. On average, each country will have about 30-50 people invited by the organizers.

These guests will be fully sponsored by the host country for round-trip airfare, accommodation and a daily allowance of about 69 USD. In addition, they will also be able to watch the matches for free.

The condition for receiving these trips is that the guests must sign a commitment. Accordingly, they will sing the hymn or national anthem at the opening match on November 20, the match in which the host country plays, and not speak ill of the host country. In addition, the group of guests is also responsible for monitoring and detecting those who write articles criticizing Qatar and reporting them to the government during the World Cup. Violators will be removed from the program.

Fans from all FIFA confederations have largely accepted the lucrative offer. A board member of the American Outlaws, the largest fan group in the United States, has agreed to join the Qatar program and is helping other members sign up.

Previously, during the World Cup events, the leaders of the fan groups of the countries were also invited by the organizing committee to Qatar for free to participate in a series of activities such as kayaking on artificial seas, and to visit the mansion of a famous fan of the host country - where there is an impressive collection of supercars and jerseys with the signatures of many famous players including Diego Maradona, Pelé and Lionel Messi. They even had the opportunity to meet David Beckham, one of the Ambassadors of the 2022 World Cup. All of the above experiences in Qatar were also asked by the organizing committee for participants to share on social networks.

Although, Ahsan Mansoor, representative of the organizing committee and director of fan engagement for the 2022 World Cup, said: "Guests are not obliged to promote or do anything." But in fact, the commitment that the fans need to meet has caused a lot of controversy.

However, not everyone is excited about the free program. Joseph Delage, a member of a famous French fan club, affirmed: "Although the program sounds quite attractive, the conditions that Qatar has put forward are too far and I do not want to lose my self-worth."

Ronan Evain, CEO of Football Supporters Europe, an organization of fan groups recognized by European football's governing body, said: "Since Qatar hosted the World Cup, the country has always tried to find ways to protect its image in a context of many upheavals such as corruption, environmental pollution, human rights..."

However, thousands of international fans and tourists have signed up to participate in this free trip. A board member of the American Outlaws, the largest fan group in the United States, has agreed to participate in the Qatar program and help other members sign up. The list is being finalized to wait for the departure date, to participate in many free luxury experiences in Qatar.

Phuong Thao is the Editor of Travellive Magazine. She is passionate about traveling and loves to capture moments with her camera in every land she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are her favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao