Reporter Dominique Metzger has belongings stolen while covering World Cup

There’s been no shortage of issues for reporters in Qatar covering the 2022 World Cup, but this one is in a bit of a different category.

Dominique Metzger, an Argentinian TV reporter from the Todo Noticias network, said her belongings were stolen while live on the air, including money, documents, and credit cards. Though the theft was not seen on TV, Metzger was told by police that the Corniche area, where she was dancing with fans while the alleged crime occurred, was under surveillance.

According to Metzger, police told her she could choose between five years in prison or deportation for the offender. She filed the report in a separate area for women only at a Doha police station.

“They told me, ‘What do you want justice to do about this?’ ” Metzger told TN, according to the Evening Standard. ‘ “We will find the wallet. … We have cameras everywhere, high-tech cameras and we will find the thief with face detection technology. What do you want [the] justice system to do with them when they are found?’ 

“… I told them I just want my wallet back, I won’t be making the decision for the justice system.”

The tournament is being heavily surveilled, with The Telegraph reporting that 20,000 cameras with facial recognition technology are being used within the eight stadiums.

Otherwise, there have been at least two situations between reporters and security in Qatar, with authorities trying to stop both a Danish and Irish reporter from filming, the former while live on-air.

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There has been a litany of controversy over the World Cup, with Qatar’s human rights record coming under immense scrutiny, as well as the tournament’s timing and the country’s laws regarding alcohol, which have seen beer banned from stadiums on the eve of the tournament.

Metzger’s situation, though, certainly seems unique.