Sold out stadiums, no political statements and a perfect football world: That is the image that hosts Qatar and FIFA are sending out into the world. But that can easily be refuted.
Even if the World Cup in Qatar is only a few days old, it is not lacking in controversy. The number of viewers caused further confusion in the first games. For example, 67,372 spectators were reported for the opening game of host Qatar against Ecuador – although the Al Bayt Stadium officially only holds 60,000.
The Senegal game against the Netherlands was also officially watched by more people than the stated stadium capacity actually allows: 41,721 instead of 40,000. However, the stadiums were not overcrowded. In every game so far, a large number of seats have remained visibly empty.
FIFA adjusts official stadium capacity
Now the world association had to react and has adjusted the official capacities upwards – in most stadiums by around ten percent, sometimes even more. There are officially 46,231 more seats – as many as in a complete stadium. One thing is clear now: none of the first World Cup games were sold out.
In addition, the new capacity utilization of the stadiums does not seem to correspond entirely to the specified number of spectators. Host Qatar and organizer FIFA hold the information sovereignty here: Only they know how many tickets were sold and how many spectators are actually in the stadium. It is at least obvious that they publish the figures in such a way that the World Cup looks like a well-attended football festival.
A bit of control thanks to Weltbild
The fact that many Qatari spectators left the stadium early during the opening game should not have pleased those responsible. However, none of this was visible on TV. This is produced on site by the Swiss production company HBS – on behalf of and under FIFA. Broadcasters that broadcast the games use it.
The image that FIFA wants to send out into the world is basically easy to refute. If the fans left early, the information came from commentators, photographers or fans on the spot and was quickly disseminated via the internet. FIFA does not have an information monopoly here. But the power of (moving) images should not be underestimated.
protests undesirable
Not only empty spectator stands are a thorn in the side of FIFA, but also political messages that could spoil the ideal world picture. At the game against England, Iranian fans planned protests against the regime in the 22nd minute. According to information from the sports show, the responsible production company was not allowed to show these pictures.