Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Netherlands: Noureddine El Amrani
Fifty Dutch fans are going to the World Cup at Qatar's expense. The Gulf state pays for their flights and accommodation. In contrast, the World Cup organization uses their social media posts for marketing purposes. Fans are also expected to attend the opening ceremony and the first match of the Qatar World Cup against Ecuador on November 20.
. According to the website of the Dutch television station NOS, the condition is that fans abide by the Code of Conduct, a document signed by a number of Dutch fans. That document, which is in the possession of the NOS Note, states that they are making a positive contribution on social media and are monitoring "abusive" reactions from third parties. Posts that do not comply with the commitment can also be removedIf fans do not adhere to the agreement, the World Cup organization can cancel it.
“The camera will be zoomed in on our orange set at the opening,” says Leon van der Welk, who is coordinating the trip on behalf of the Dutch fans. In addition, we will regularly appear on the squares in our orange shirts
Nour El-Din El-Amrani, a journalist based in the Netherlands, says that the Royal Dutch Football Association refused to comment, as well as the Qatar Football Association. To remind, the Netherlands and other countries in the European Union criticized FIFA in its decision to hand over the World Cup procedure in Qatar, claiming that the stadiums that were built with the help of Asian workers are under conditions. Inhumanity led to the death of many of them, but FIFA, in its report, denied such a position in response to the reports of human rights and humanitarian organizations. The Qatari emir considered criticism of the Qatari World Cup an unjustified attack and that what Qatar is exposed to has never been experienced by a host country in the World Cup
According to NOS, according to many Dutch fans, this is the first time that an organized country has paid for the travel and accommodation costs of "regular" fans for a final tournament. It is common for high profile personalities, such as former football players and influencers, to travel to major sports leagues at the expense of participating organizations, countries or sponsors.
NOS has spoken to several fans who will participate in the World Cup finals at Qatar's expense. Most of them were planning to support the Netherlands, but now that it's possible to do it for free, they think that's a great bonus. It can easily save thousands of euros per person.

Supporters say they are aware of the dubious reputation of the Gulf state, but note that the KNVB has decided to participate and that they, as loyal individual fans, support the decision. According to the Dutch station's website, Qatar has been under criticism for years because of human rights violations. According to human rights groups, hundreds to thousands of migrant workers have died during World Cup construction activities due to poor working conditions.
For one of the fifty Dutch supporters who spoke to NOS, funding from Qatar was a condition of going to the World Cup. "The accommodations are very expensive, and we as regular fans can't afford it." Another fan says, "If you want to make a difference in a country like this, you can only do it by going there."
NOS also spoke to fans of the Netherlands elite who were aware of the trip Qatar has paid for, but would prefer to pay for the travel and accommodation themselves. “We are fans of the Dutch national team, but we are not fans of the World Cup,” said loyal fan Paul Herschel about his selection. "The temptation to accept it was great. You get a free flight and accommodation and you can go to the opening match. But the fact that we had to sign a document with all kinds of commitments and restrictions was the last straw for us, we don't want that.
According to Qatar, around two hundred fan leaders were selected from 32 participating countries. They "play a vital role in coordinating effectively with fans planning to attend the World Cup, as well as providing us with vital feedback on questions that arise in relation to the tournament and the host country." Fan Engagement on the official World Cup website.
Dutch fan leaders say the World Cup organization has asked them to take part in this programme. NOS spoke with Van der Wilk, a prominent Holland fan. Says:
He asked the Dutch fan leaders to select about fifty fans for the free World Cup trip. “There are about two hundred very loyal fans,” says van der Welk. “We chose fifty of those based on their track record.” Dutch fan leaders had to sign the so-called code of conduct, which is in the hands of the NOS. It states, among other things, However, fans must develop a positive image of themselves on social media, share and like posts from the organizing committee and report “abusive” reactions from third parties. If fans do not comply with the law, the World Cup organization can terminate the agreement, “including Benefits Granted to Fans. The organization maintains that fan activity on social media is monitored and reserves the right to ask supporters to remove posts that do not comply with the Code of Conduct.
According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, there are a total of 500 fans, including a group of French. There will be about twenty people from Belgium, and Van der Wielk says that fans of the Netherlands national team can feel completely free to say what they want in Qatar. "We never have to lie about anything or hide things. We can be ourselves while respecting their culture. This is guaranteed personally, because without this condition we would never have consented."