Argentine reporter, Dominique Metzger had her valuables stolen while on duty covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup which kicked off in Qatar on November 20.
The tournament kicked off in earnest on Sunday evening with the hosts having been on the end of a 2-0 defeat to South American side Ecuador. Metzger was out covering the showpiece for Argentine outlet TN and was doing a live link from the Corniche area of Doha when the incident occurred.
During the broadcast items from her handbag were stolen. She reported the robbery to local police and was left bemused by their response to the incident after authorities asked her what punishment they would like to be imposed on the guilty party.
She said: “I went to the station and that was when the cultural differences began. The policewoman said to me: ‘We have high-tech cameras everywhere and we are going to locate him [the thief] with face detection. What do you want the justice system to do when we find him?'”
She was left confused by the statement and asked for further clarification. Metzger continued: “What justice do you want? What sentence do you want us to give him? Do you want him to be sentenced to five years in prison? Do you want him to be deported?”
It has been reported that approximately 15,000 cameras with facial recognition have been installed at stadiums. The incident with Metzger is the second in an ever-growing list of run-ins that reporters have suffered over recent days.