Qatar looking to hire fans for Asian Cup

BANGKOK, May 23 (Reuters) Soccer officials from Qatar are seeking to hire thousands of Vietnamese people to support their team during Asian Cup matches in Hanoi, a Vietnamese newspaper reported today.

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.

The paper, sourcing army officials who manage the stadium, said the delegates told them they had already placed orders to buy outfits for the supporters.

They were told to contact local student associations to recruit fans for the July 7-29 event, which Vietnam will co-host with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

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.

The oil and gas rich state has a population of only 744,000 people, many of whom are migrant workers from South Asia and the Philippines.

REUTERS BJR BD1151