by middleeasteye.net — Qatar shipped in around 1,500 foreign fans, mainly from Lebanon, to support the country’s national team in this year’s World Cup, according to a report by the New York Times. The fans, who were also said to have come from Egypt, Algeria and Syria, were all “ultras” – a term originating in Italy, but now used worldwide, to describe followers known for their fanatical support. Authorities in host country Qatar had made the decision to bring in the fans amid concerns that matches involving the national team would otherwise only attract small numbers of low-key Qatari supporters.

The NYT said the main contingent had come from Lebanon after a test event was arranged in Beirut in April where hundreds of Lebanese students and fans of Nejmeh, a local club, were recruited to make a video at a stadium recreating the kind of intense atmosphere found at games attended by ultras. After impressing officials in Qatar, the fans were offered free flights, accommodation, match tickets and food, plus a small stipend, to support Qatar at the World Cup games. The newspaper said the fans arrived in mid-October, around a month before the tournament began, to rehearse their support, including newly written chants.