Viral video shows Ecuador fan gesturing to Qatar supporters that the World Cup is rigged

An Ecuador fan caused quite the stir on day one of the 2022 World Cup with a gesture implying Qatar had rigged the opening game of the tournament.

In a clip that quickly went viral on social media, the fan can be seen moving his hand in a way that suggests the host nation have paid off officials after an Ecuador goal was controversially chalked off by VAR.

The South American side thought they had made the perfect start to their World Cup campaign when captain and record goalscorer Enner Valencia headed home inside three minutes.

However, the goal, which would have been the fastest ever in a World Cup opening game, was swiftly ruled out after VAR adjudged there to have been an offside in the build-up.

The initial replays seemed to indicate there was very little wrong with the goal. However, on closer inspection, an Ecuadorian player’s leg was indeed in an offside position when the free-kick was taken.

Unsurprisingly, the fan’s response to the decision did not go down well at all with a portion of the home side’s following, with one supporter shouting and gesturing for the animated fan to be quiet.

Ecuadorian frustrations were felt by many other fans online, who also lamented the officials’ call.

One posted: “How was that offside? This is so fixed man!”

Another tweeted: “Christ, if that’s offside then there’s no point watching any of this.”

While a third added: “Offside apparently. Utterly rigged.”

Thankfully, a subsequent video was posted showing the two opposing fans reconciling after Ecuador went on to win the game 2-0 with Valencia grabbing both goals as the tournament in Doha kicked off with plenty of talking points.

In defeat, Qatar became the first ever host nation to lose in the opening game of the World Cup.

And with games against Senegal and the Netherlands coming over the next few days, the host country’s hopes of qualifying for the Round of 16 already appear to be hanging in the balance.