Qatar apologises to Danish TV channel after shutting down World Cup 2022 broadcast in Doha

TV2’s Rasmus Tantholdt was confronted live on air
William Mata17 November 2022

World Cup chiefs in Qatar have apologised after officials interrupted a live Danish news broadcast in Doha and threatened to break the crew’s camera.

TV2’s Rasmus Tantholdt was confronted by men who told him that, despite the foreign correspondent producing a permit, he was unable to film in the quiet street.

Qatar’s “supreme committee for delivery and legacy” released a statement after the incident on Tuesday to say the channel was “mistakenly interrupted”.

Mr Tantholdt is seen negotiating with officials in front of a roundabout, saying in English: “Why did you invite the world here, why can’t we film… It’s a public place.”

Men wearing white Arabic dress are seen jumping in front of the camera to block it.

“You can break the camera, you want to break it?” Mr Tantholdt said to them. “You are threatening us by smashing the camera?”

The reporter acknowledged later on that an apology had been made.

He tweeted: “But will it happen to other media as well?”

The committee’s statement read: “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.”

Qatar will kick off the World Cup proceedings on Sunday with their game against Ecuador.

The Gulf state has faced huge criticism over its human rights record, treatment of migrants and alleged suppression of whistleblowers during the construction of the stadiums since it was awarded rights to host the competition in 2010.

Danish players could wear a third choice black shirt when they play group games against France, Australia and Tunisia in “mourning” of workers who have died.

The Scandinavian country has been one of the biggest critics of Fifa’s choice of World Cup host and are also set to convey their opposition with a toned down team crest and sportswear logo when they play.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in