Qatar hiring 10,000 Viet mercenaries for Asian Cup

Qatari sports authorities are seeking to ‘hire’ some 10,000 Vietnamese to support their national football team during the AFC Asian Cup 2007 to be co-hosted by Vietnam in July. They reportedly made the request to authorities managing the Seventh Military Zone Stadium, which will host Qatar’s matches, while on a visit to survey the facilities there. The army unit told them to contact local students associations.

Payment and other conditions were not divulged though the Qatari delegation has placed orders for making uniforms for what Vietnamese youth and sports newspaper Thanh Nien described as "the mercenaries".

Qatar is scheduled to play Japan, the host Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates in Group B, respectively on 7, 12 and 16 July.