There have been allegations that Qatar and FIFA fabricated statistics about stadium attendance. According to British media outlet Mirror, the Al-Bayt Stadium held 60,000 spectators for the opening match of the 2022 World Cup between Qatar and Ecuador, although FIFA reported that the actual number of fans present was 67,372. Previously, the validity of the number of supporters who were present at the stadium was doubted by a number of parties. Because, in the four matches that were held, there were many empty seats in the stadium. The stadium's capacity was then revised to 68,895 spectators shortly after that.
The change also occurred at the Khalifa International Stadium. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 spectators. However, FIFA stated on its website that the spectators present at the England vs Iran match totaled 45,334. After controversy arose and a re-examination, FIFA updated the stadium capacity figures to 45,857 on Tuesday (22/11/2022).
The changes didn't stop there, the Al Thumama Stadium, which witnessed the Netherlands' 2-0 win over Senegal, also became a public disappointment. At first, FIFA claimed that the stadium in Doha could accommodate 40,000 fans. However, when the match took place, many empty seats were seen, even though the number of spectators present numbered 41,721. After that, FIFA updated that the capacity of Al Thumama Stadium is 44,400.
The Lusail Stadium, which witnessed Argentina's defeat against Saudi Arabia, was also questioned and underwent a change in the number of stadium capacities. According to the spectators present at the stadium, there were a lot of empty seats in the stadium, even though FIFA stated that the number of people present was 88,012 out of the stadium's 80,000 capacity. As a result of these questions, FIFA again updated the total capacity of its stadium to 88,996.
Reporting from The Athletic, the addition of stadium capacity is known after all operational factors are taken into account, such as camera position and advertising platforms, so each seat is counted and the numbers are updated. However, the update came when the tension was already starting, and that's what caused the confusion.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that three million spectators would flock to stadiums in Qatar for the World Cup. Infantino seems to have equated this target with the number of spectators for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, namely 3,031,768 spectators.
So far, the record for the most spectators attending the stadium was at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, namely 3,568,567 spectators.
On the other hand, based on a report by The Guardian, it is known that some Qatari citizens have exploited the ticket sales system. They bought more than 20 match tickets using two FIFA accounts. This could lead to two things, firstly, it would be too unlikely for a spectator who bought 20 tickets to attend every game he already bought tickets for (especially in the group stages) and, secondly, it could create the potential for brokering.
However, these statements are not in line with the evidence that in every Qatar 2022 World Cup match there are many empty seats in the stands.
3. Paid Audience Issue
Rumors about Qatar hiring spectators or supporters to enliven the 2022 World Cup have indeed developed in the past week. "Fan Leader Network" is Qatar's official 2022 World Cup program aimed at bloggers, influencers or leaders of the football community around the world. Broadly speaking, the Fan Leader Network is an attempt by the organizing committee for the Qatar 2022 World Cup to attract a large number of fans through key opinion leaders (KOL). Qatar has also reportedly opened registration for "paid spectators" to enliven the 2022 World Cup.
Supporters who register later are said to receive many facilities ranging from preload visas, travel and match tickets, hotel rooms, to daily allowances. Quoted from AFP, the daily allowance of Qatar's 2022 World Cup "paying spectators" reaches US$68, or around Rp. 1 million. The task of "paying spectators" as well as KOL who are members of the Fan Leader Network will not only enliven the match at the stadium. However, they are also tasked with reporting positive news on the Qatar 2022 World Cup through their respective social media.
