A lady who calls herself the ‘world cup’s hottest fan” has said she won’t stop wearing outfits that showcases her flesh – admitting she was “super angry” when she found out about the modesty laws in Qatar.
Croatian football team fan Ivana Knoll has been attending the group stage games, causing a stir after stepping out in a striking chequered mini dress.
Pictures show her posing for pictures with fans as she has been taking part in bikini modelling jobs including posing up by the curved skyscraper in Lusail.
But Ivana has already received abuse online from trolls calling for her to better respect the cultural code of Qatar.
She admits frustration after hearing about the modesty rules before flying to the Middle East for the World Cup and she has no fear of being arrested by police.
“I think how can my dress or bikini hurt someone? Please explain me that,” she said.
The 26-year-old said the authorities are “not making any problems” for her at the stadiums. She regularly shares updates with her 700,000 followers on Instagram
Ivana said: “First I was thinking if the World Cup is happening there (Qatar), for sure they will allow us everything to make it comfortable for all fans without any of the restrictions.
“Then I heard about the rules and I was shocked. The dress code forbids showing shoulders, knees, belly and everything and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t even have the clothes to cover all of that’.
“I was super angry because if I’m not a Muslim and if we in Europe respect hijab and niqab, I think they need also to respect our way of life, our religion and in the end me wearing dresses, bikinis because I’m Catholic from Croatia who is here because of the World Cup.
“But when I arrived I was surprised they were not making any problems about dressing, they allow you to wear everything what you want – except in government buildings, and in the end that’s fine.”
Asked if she had felt there was any risk of being arrested for her outfits, Ms Knoll replied: “I am never afraid of something like that.”
Ivana, who splits her time between Croatia and the United States, went on: “The reactions are very good.
“Many of the Qatari people came to me to photograph me.
“If they hate it and they have something against it, they wouldn’t do it.
“I think it’s just another way of life, me and them.”