Want to root for Qatar?

Yea, at first neither did I, but that was before I found out that they are so desperate for fans at this year’s Asian Cup, that they are going to clothe and pay people to root, root, root for the away team.

Qatari delegates made enquiries about enlisting 10,000 local fans during a recent tour of Hanoi’s My Dinh stadium, where they will play Group B matches with Vietnam, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Thanh Nien daily.

Despite the popularity of soccer in Qatar and efforts to lure big-name players, its domestic league is poorly attended and the national team has few travelling supporters.

Honestly, I’m not above being a mercenary fan. Hell, right here and now I am declaring my availability in the job market for fan-for-hire positions around the globe. Pay to get my butt in the seats and I’ll root for anyone.

Except of course for the Yankees, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Colorado, Washington, …

• Qatar looking to hire football fans for Asian Cup