Over 50,000 to provide World Cup security, including foreign forces

Qatar has trained more than 50,000 people to provide security during the World Cup, the interior ministry said on Thursday, with foreign forces helping out under Qatari command.

Ministry spokesperson Jabr Hammoud Jabr Al Nuaimi did not say which countries were taking part.

“The participation of forces from friendly countries with specialised skills will constitute a real addition to the security forces of the tournament … and these forces will work under a unified Qatari leadership,” he said.

Turkey is providing 3,000 riot police and has said they will operate under Turkish command.

With a population of 3 million – of which around 12% are Qatari nationals – Qatar faces a shortage of personnel as it gears up for the month-long FIFA tournament, which kicks off on Nov. 20.

Qatar will re-open borders to all visitors, whether they hold match tickets or not, after the World Cup group stage ends on Dec 2. Visitors must still apply for a “Hayya card”, the permit to enter Qatar and access stadiums, but they don’t need tickets to apply, Nuaimi said.

Additionally, medical practitioners will not ask patients if they have had extramarital sex or about their religion or any other status when providing medical care during the tournament, said Yousuf Al Maslamani, a healthcare spokesperson.

“Health care practitioners will only ask medical questions,” he said.

Qatar’s legal code criminalises homosexuality and extramarital sex and rights groups warn that women can be prosecuted if they report rape or if unmarried women become pregnant.

-Reuters