The family of a Fife grandad who faces two years in a Qatar jail over an unpaid loan has urged Scots to boycott the upcoming World Cup.
Brian Glendinning, 43, is being held in Iraq after being detained while trying to enter the country to start a new job.
He was taken into custody after Qatar put out an Interpol “red notice” for his arrest over a £20,000 loan he took out while working in the country six years ago.
The Kincardine resident had been attempting to pay the loan back, but fell ill and lost his job.
He now faces extradition to the Middle Eastern state, where he has already been sentenced to two years in prison without any warning.
Social media appeal for World Cup boycott
Brian’s family – which includes his three children and one-year-old granddaughter – have been campaigning for him to be returned to the UK, and are now calling on Scots to boycott the upcoming Qatar 2022 World Cup.
They have asked people to take to social media and post the hashtag #FreeBrianQatar22 to show their support.
John, Brian’s brother, said: “We’ve got UK celebrities – I’m not going to name names – who are promoting this World Cup.
“It’s great to promote World Cups, but look at the hosts and how they’re treating someone who missed payments on a loan due to ill health.
“Take my brother out of the equation – I’m not just going to be selfish – and look at the human rights and humanity in this country.
“There’s been umpteen reports about it.
“Doha city is a beautiful city, but all you really need to do is go a little bit further outside and you’ll see what Qatar is all about.
“People are living in very high poverty.
“It’s all good to fly into the city and stay in your five-star hotel, but if you step outside the city and into the slums you’ll see the dark side of Qatar.”
Fans warned over Qatar laws
John has also warned Scots travelling to Qatar for the tournament to watch out for the country’s strict laws.
He said: “This is how they want to treat an honest hard working man who’s never broken the law before in his life.
“We all know how football trips away can get, with the drinking and the large crowds, things can get out of hand.
“All it takes is for them to bump into a local.
“I genuinely think we’ll have a lot of people going over there to watch football and not coming back for a long time.”
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