Fact Check: Did Qatar government issue these guidelines for fans attending FIFA World Cup 2022

New Delhi, Oct 10: The FIFA World Cup 2022 is round the corner. While many are awaiting for the event to begin with bated breath, a list of rules supposedly issued by the host nation has gone viral on the social media.

These rules being circulated have been criticised for being bigoted and conservative. The poster listing the rules says in Arabic and English, 'Qatar Welcomes You.' It asks people to respect the religion and culture of the Qatari people.

Reflect your respect to the religion and culture of Qatari people by avoiding drinking, homosexuality, immodesty, loud music and sounds, dating and taking people's picture without their permission, reads the rules.

When OneIndia searched for the hashtag #Relect_Your_Respect, it led us to the account, @RYRQatar.

We contribute to the consolidation of Islamic values and principles that support the Qatari identity. The account also shared the viral poster on October 1.

As per this report the Reflect Your Respect is a campaign started by a group of Qatari women in 2014. This campaign aims at promoting modest dressing among expatriate residents and visitors.

Now coming to the guidelines issued by the Qatar Government, for visiting football fans, we came across the rules which are similar, but do not mention homosexuality. The guidelines are available on the official website of the Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 mentions restrictions on clothing. Fans can wear clothes of their choice but are expected to cover their shoulders and knees while visiting public places such as museums and government buildings. Further the rules state that fans are not allowed to remove their shirts in the stadium.

We also found a tweet by the Twitter account of Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 clarifying that the viral poster was not official. The tweet also says that an extensive fan guide will be available shortly.

Hence it may be concluded that the poster shared by a conservative local group in Qatar is being falsely circulated as the guidelines issued by the government for tourists.