World Cup organizers paying for flights, hotels for fans in return for positive PR on social media
The 2022 FIFA World Cup organizers are paying fans to travel to the tournament in return for positive feedback on social media.
The World Cup is scheduled to start Sunday, Nov. 20 in Qatar and will be played through Sunday, Dec. 18.
Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy confirmed to Reuters, the plan to invite groups of supporters to the finals after reports by a Dutch broadcaster who said Qatar was going to pay for the flights and lodging for 50 Dutch fans.
The fans were asked to sign a "code of conduct," suggesting they post positive comments about the tournament and to report "any offensive, degrading or abusive comments," preferably with screenshots.
The Dutch broadcasted cited two fans who were asked to be "fan leaders" and to pick 50 "loyal supporters" for a free trip to Qatar.
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According to Qatar's World Cup website, there are more than 400 fan leaders and influencers from 60 countries. The fan leader network "contributes to tournament planning through fan insight, research, content creation and message amplification."
"Our fan leaders are playing a crucial role in engaging with supporters who are planning to come to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup, and in providing us with invaluable feedback on a variety of queries and topics related to the tournament and the host country," said Haya Al Kuwari, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Fan Engagement Lead.
"Their passion and enthusiasm for Qatar 2022 has been inspirational and an important contribution to helping our build-up to the greatest show on Earth in November and December."
The fan leader network has not responded to a request for comment concerning the financial details of the deal.
Contact Analis Bailey at aabailey@usatoday.com or on Twitter @analisbailey.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2022 World Cup organizers paying fans to attend for positive feedback
