When Shafeeq Saqafi and 15,000 other migrant labourers convened in a secret location in Doha to witness Lionel Messi’s team save their World Cup, they proudly donned the Argentina shirt they had joyfully purchased for $3.
Saqafi banged his chest in joy as Messi’s goal in the 2-0 victory over Mexico drew the greatest audience to the Asian Town stadium to their feet.
Saqafi and his companions easily admit that they purchase counterfeit club jerseys for $3 or less rather than the $90 cost of authentic gear. Still, they bristle at claims made by European media that they are “fake fans.”
The 32-year-old hotel worker, who makes little over $400 a month and sends more than half of that back to his family in Bangladesh, claimed that he could not afford to have the lettering printed on the shirt’s back but that it was something he truly desired.
Saqafi is one of the 2.5 million foreign employees who have helped pump oil and gas, build Qatar’s World Cup stadiums and infrastructure, and staff the dozens of new hotels that have opened in the previous five years. These workers have been the cornerstone of Qatar’s economic miracle.
Rights organisations claim that the employees have suffered severe maltreatment. Qatar makes these arguments in response to enhanced safety requirements, wage safeguards, and shortened workdays during the country’s highly scorching summers.
Thousands of the city’s poorest employees who live in neighbouring dorms distant from Doha’s opulent retail malls and eateries have turned to the stadium in the Asian Town shopping centre regularly.
Before each match, a female DJ provides the predominately male and South Asian crowd with Bollywood and Hindi pop music.
The closest most people will go to the World Cup is the fan area on the cricket field. However, many people still make the legal minimum salary of 1,000 riyals ($100), which is still very high.
Additionally, purchasing a team jersey is not an option. Saqafi and many of his buddies decided to purchase one of the premium knockoffs being sold at undercover shops.
Yaseen Gul, a ten-year employee of a Doha-based electrical company, claimed he visits the stadium “to enjoy myself – inexpensively.”
He remarked, “Qatar is quite demanding; the labour is hard.” “But I won’t go home; my pay has increased.”
Shaqeel Mahmoud said he could not afford to purchase match tickets and that he had to leave the Argentina match early to get to work.
The stadium’s beverage stand charges $1 for a cup of tea, but many spectators felt this was too excessive.
