An Argentinian TV reporter has been taken aback by the response of Qatari police after getting robbed during the opening days of the 2022 World Cup.
The tournament kicked off in earnest on Sunday evening with the hosts having been on the end of a 2-0 defeat to South American side Ecuador. In the build-up to the opening match, Argentine journalist Dominique Metzger was conducting a live broadcast from the Corniche area of Doha.
During the broadcast items from her handbag were stolen. She reported the robbery to local police and was left bemused by their response to the incident after authorities asked her what punishment they would like to be imposed on the guilty party.
She said: "I went to the station and that was when the cultural differences began. The policewoman said to me: 'We have high-tech cameras everywhere and we are going to locate him [the thief] with face detection. What do you want the justice system to do when we find him?'"
She was left confused by the statement and asked for further clarification. Metzger continued: "What justice do you want? What sentence do you want us to give him? Do you want him to be sentenced to five years in prison? Do you want him to be deported?"
Indeed, Metzger did not request a specific punishment and replied simply that she wanted her lost items safely returned. It remains to be seen whether the reporter received her items back or not but the Qatari authorities have attempted to reduce crime at the tournament.
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It has been reported that approximately 15,000 cameras with facial recognition have been installed at stadiums. The incident with Metzger is the second in an ever-growing list of run-ins that reporters have suffered over recent days.
Danish network TV2 were approached by a group last week whilst they were producing a piece. The footage of the incident went viral with tournament organisers being forced to apologise.
An official statement read: “Tournament organisers are aware of an incident where a Danish broadcast crew were mistakenly interrupted during a live broadcast in one of Qatar’s tourist destinations.
“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.
“Tournament organisers have since spoken to the journalist and issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament.”
The World Cup continues on Monday with England kicking off their Group B campaign against Iran.
