England fans in Qatar insist ‘we’re not fake’ after World Cup squad’s curious greeting

Against the backdrop of reports about fake fans being paid by the host nation to create an atmosphere, these supporters – predominantly expats from India working in Qatar – insisted they were the real deal.

They said they had printed their own shirts, pointed out WhatsApp groups boasting almost a thousand members and rattled off the names of players with the expertise of supporters who have long devoured Premier League football. They even had their own band.

When the team bus arrived at the Souq Al Wakra hotel, to the south of the city, they charged down a police barrier to get closer to their heroes.

Harry Kane got a huge cheer but the supporters were even louder when Gareth Southgate turned to give them a wave. “Southgate is our super coach, Sterling is our super star, Pickford is our super keeper,” they cried.

England certainly arrived in positive mood. Before departing for Qatar, Kieran Trippier said: “We should go there with that winning mindset to win the tournament and don’t be afraid to say it.” Sajidh, a 29-year-old mechanical engineer, said the majority of the Indian fans were from Kerala, where they have a mural of England’s players and from where they followed the team during the 2018 World Cup, flanked by an 80ft cardboard cutout of Kane. He estimates that there are 700,000 England fans in that region of southern India, and insisted that claims they were “fake fans” was “fake news”.

“None of us are getting paid,” he said. “We are diehard England fans. My favourite player was David Beckham, but now it is [Bukayo] Saka. If someone offered to pay us to support England we would turn them down. We are genuine supporters. Many of us grew up watching Beckham and Michael Owen. Our love is to this team.”

Niyas, also 29, nodded, explaining that many of them had managed to purchase tickets for England’s games. “We made these England tops ourselves,” he said. “No one gave them to us. Argentina is the most supported team among Indians in Qatar, followed by Brazil. But then it is England.”

The welcoming party inside the team’s five-star base included a camel and a falcon. Camel rides are available on the beach should anyone fancy it.

Speaking on The Lions’ Den show on England’s YouTube channel before departing, Kane, the captain, said: “I’m excited, a World Cup is a special occasion. I think for most professionals it is the biggest tournament you can play in as a player, and I have been lucky enough to do one and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Everyone is match fit and ready to go, and come Monday we should be ready.”

Southgate, meanwhile, has remained in regular contact with Harry Maguire in the countdown to the World Cup, to underline his faith in him. The England manager has made calls to, and checks on, Maguire during the turbulent period in which he has found himself out of the Manchester United team amid a dip in form.

Despite those difficulties Southgate considers Maguire as one of his main players. It is understood that he would be a candidate along with Raheem Sterling to wear the captain’s armband should Kane and the vice-captain, Jordan Henderson, not be on the pitch. Southgate has gone out of his way to instil confidence in Maguire, who made two mistakes and suffered an injury in England’s most recent match, the 3-3 draw with Germany in September, and has made only two starts since then for United.

Yet Southgate’s backing indicates that Maguire is in line to start England’s opening fixture in Qatar against Iran on Monday as he looks for the 29-year-old to emerge as a key performer, just as he was at the 2018 World Cup and the European Championship last summer.

– The Times

Originally published as England fans in Qatar insist ‘we’re not fake’ after World Cup squad’s curious greeting