Qatar World Cup Organizers Apologize After Threatening TV Crew Live on Air

Jason Duaine Hahn
·2 min read
2
The logo of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup football tournament is displayed on a wall in Doha on October 23, 2022
The logo of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup football tournament is displayed on a wall in Doha on October 23, 2022

GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty

World Cup organizers apologized to a Danish television station after their crew was threatened by security as they filmed just days before the start of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

According to Reuters, Rasmus Tantholdt of Denmark's TV2 was reporting live on air in the country's capital city of Doha when he was approached by security officials who threatened to break his crew's cameras.

Footage of the incident went viral on social media.

"You invited the whole world to come here, why can't we film? It's a public place," Tantholdt is heard saying in the video.

"You can break the camera, you want to break it?" he told security. "You are threatening us by smashing the camera?"

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Per Reuters, a statement from the World Cup's Supreme Committee claimed the TV crew was "mistakenly interrupted."

"Upon inspection of the crew's valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity," the statement said, according to the outlet.

"Tournament organizers have since spoken to the journalist and issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament," it continued.

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The 2022 World Cup will begin on Nov. 21 and last until mid-December.

Qatar has faced controversy for its systemic discrimination against women and the LGBTQ+ community as well as the reported deaths of 37 migrant workers helping to construct the stadiums where the World Cup will be held, per The Guardian.

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Earlier this month, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter told Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger that "Qatar is a mistake" and that the choice to hold the World Cup there was "bad," according to ESPN.