England football ‘fans’ in Qatar name their favourite players

There was a lorra love for Stevie G!

Speculation that football fans in Qatar have been hired in has mounted after a video surveying members of the 'Barmy Army' threw up some interesting results. The Qatar Supreme Committee has rejected claims that they have hired fake fans to promote the tournament on the back of footage showing groups of expats supporting England. The Guardian reported that they had spoken to several of the fans who said they had come from Kerala but were backing the Three Lions. Other locals have been seen chanting for other nations such as Argentina and Brazil. In the viral video, dozens of England supporters can be heard chanting "It's coming home" as well "Southgate is our super coach! Sterling is our super star! Pickford is our super keeper!" https://twitter.com/seaningle/status/1592573669691518979?s=20&t=tdISyUFg0pN9PnmMZa8DmQ A statement from the Supreme Committee said that the allegations were "disappointing and surprising." They said: "Fans from all over the world – many of whom have made Qatar their home – have contributed to the local atmosphere recently, organising fan walks and parades throughout the country, and welcoming the various national teams at their hotels. "Numerous journalists and commentators on social media have questioned whether these are ‘real’ fans. We thoroughly reject these assertions, which are both disappointing and unsurprising." But another video has since emerged of fans struggling to name any of the current World Cup squad. The footage, which has been doing the rounds on social media, shows 'supporters' citing players such as Steven Gerrard and David Beckham as among their favourites. They last played for England in 2014 and 2009 respectively. Several people have commented that the people in the clip could just be local workers who are enjoying the World Cup, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, it does add to mounting speculation that this tournament could be a bit, well, plasticky. https://twitter.com/FBAwayDays/status/1593007419709276161?t=bAJgquCHZ_Vz8pBJoNdN3w&s=19 Related links:

• Joe Lycett gives David Beckham a £10,000 ultimatum over Qatar World Cup
• Qatar accused of paying ‘fake supporters’ to be fans at the 2022 World Cup
• Sepp Blatter admits Qatar World Cup was ‘a mistake’