African security guards and Indian builders among spectators at league match featuring Xavi, who was signed for £7m a year to boost local interest in football

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Migrant labourers in Qatar say they are being paid to fill empty seats at football matches featuring the Spanish star Xavi Hernández, who was signed to boost local interest in the game before the Gulf state hosts the 2022 World Cup.

Xavi, 35, is a World Cup winner and former Barcelona captain. At an evening match between his side Al Sadd and rivals Al Ahli last month, groups of “fans” told the Guardian they had been paid about £5 to attend or had been given free tickets.

They included several African security guards, who wore white robes they said helped them look more like Qataris. Indian construction workers said they had been paid chant football songs in Arabic they had been taught but did not understand.

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An entire end – about 1,000 spectators – comprised builders from south Asia. Musicians with drums and pipes had been hired to “create atmosphere”.

“We are here for the money,” said Kumar, an Indian builder who had been bussed in from a labour camp. “They pay 30 riyals (£5) per match. They teach us the clapping actions and some songs. They think with the World Cup people will worry that there will be nobody to watch the matches so that is why they do this.”

Michael, a security guard from Kenya, said: “They are looking for bodies because there is no one to come. The Qataris are not interested. Most are busy and they prefer to watch at home. We earn a minimum amount [in our day jobs] so if you get 30 extra riyals you can feed yourself better.”

A spokesperson for the Qatar Stars League (QSL), which organises the matches, said it did not pay agents or fans to attend games. It confirmed that clubs sometimes gave tickets to businesses “to increase club awareness”, and that tickets at the Al Ahli v Al Sadd match had been given for free to workers from a construction company that had recently renovated the stadium. It said clubs hired entertainers in the crowds “to create an atmosphere during matches”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Foreign labourers working on the construction site of the al-Wakrah football stadium, one of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup venues. Photograph: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images

“Our goal is not to fill a stadium with people who don’t want to be there,” the spokesperson said. “Our goal is to create a professional league, with passionate fans, and in turn increase our attendance with people who really love football.”

QSL said attendance this season was up 40% on the one before. Al Ahli did not respond to requests for comment.

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Qatar’s successful bid document for the 2022 tournament claimed the region was “brimming with sporting passion”. The Gulf state is paying Xavi a reported £7m a year to play in the Qatar Stars league and to coach the country’s young players.

The World Cup preparations have been hit by allegations of bribery in the bidding process, strongly denied by Qatar, and outrage from human rights groups over the country’s treatment of migrant construction workers.

Last year, the Qatari government published survey results that showed “paid fans” were turning people off attending matches.

The migrant workers said their attendance at games was organised by middlemen who arranged bus transport from their dormitory camps and payments, which were normally made a day or two after the match.

“I take 70 or 80 [workers] for a match and bring them by bus from the camps,” said a Sudanese agent. “I bring security guards and pay them 30 riyals.” He said he received about 60 riyals per “fan”. “It’s a good business,” he said. “I earn more than in my day job.”

Read Robert Booth’s full report on Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup in Weekend magazine with Saturday’s Guardian.