Photo: Associated Press
The current World Cup, held in Qatar, is notable for the relative modesty of the fans’ outfits. The Qatari authorities warned in advance that they would not allow provocations in the stands and would severely punish and fine the violators of the dress code. Robes can be arbitrarily bright, but it is strictly forbidden to be naked. In this, the organizers of the World Cup are in solidarity with the Qatari authorities: for the first time, a ban on standing naked in the stands was introduced in 2010, when the World Cup was held in South Africa.
However, fans supporting their teams outside of Qatar may not be subject to any restrictions.
Croatian model Ivana Knoll, who has around a million Instagram followers, decided to test the boundaries of what’s acceptable in Qatar. She came to her national team matches in very revealing outfits, attracting the attention of spectators and photojournalists. At the same time, she blogged about her being ready for fines and even expulsion from the country, even if she tries to be as “modest” as possible. So far, the organizers of the World Cup have not filed any claims against Ivana. She will once again appear in the stands on 9 December when Croatia play Brazil in the quarter-finals.
