Qatari officials threaten to smash TV equipment during live broadcast about World Cup in shocking footage
The Qatar Supreme Committee has apologised to Danish broadcaster TV2 after one of their reporters was threatened by security staff during a live broadcast.
Rasmus Tantholdt was reporting from Qatar ahead of the World Cup starting on Sunday before being interrupted by three men on a buggy.
The men approached Tantholdt and indicated filming was prohibited where he had set up. Things could've gotten uglier as Tantholdt's property, including his camera, could've been destroyed.
Footage of the incident has gone viral on social media, with over 1.1 million views at the time of writing. Check it out for yourself below.
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Tantholdt was broadcasting in his native tongue but decided to switch to English to communicate with the officials.
He said: "You have invited the whole world here. Why can't we film? It is a public place," before asking for clarification on the rules.
Realising things were escalating, he presented his press pass on his phone. While that was unfolding, another official grabbed the lens of his camera and threatened to smash it.
Tantholdt was heard saying: "You can break the camera, you want to break it? You are threatening us by smashing the camera?"
Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy has since said TV2 employees were 'mistakenly interrupted' on the streets of Doha in a statement.
"Upon inspection of the crew’s valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity," it reads per Reuters. "Tournament organisers have since spoken to the journalist and issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament."
Tantholdt confirmed the apology in a tweet while expressing his displeasure at other outlets going through the same treatment.
He explained: "We now got an apology from Qatar International Media Office and from Qatar Supreme Committee. This is what happened when we were broadcasting live for @tv2nyhederne from a roundabout today in Doha. But will it happen to other media as well?"
Denmark, who are in Group D at the tournament alongside France, Australia and Tunisia, are among the nations to protest against Qatar being awarded the right to host the World Cup.
Shirt manufacturers Hummel has 'toned down' the branding on the shirts Denmark will be wearing over the next six weeks.
Players have also opted to keep their partners at home, as the Danish FA don't want to contribute towards profits gained from the tournament.
They also planned to wear t-shirts supporting human rights during warm-ups. FIFA stepped in to prevent that from happening, however.
Daniel Marland