The 2022 FIFA World Cup is in full throttle in Qatar, as fans are enjoying the first ever Word Cup held in the middle-east. Meanwhile, labelled as the ‘World Cup’s hottest fan’, Croatia’s Ivana Knoll is back in Qatar, after gaining fame in Russia in 2018. The 30-year-old was back in the stands during Croatia’s clash against Belgium to steal the show. She did succeed in doing so, as the men in and around her seat enjoyed the glimpse of the ‘hot girl in town’.
Knoll is here to support her homeland Croatia, who went all the way to the final at the 2018 edition. It was then Ivana actually rose to fame, being a scene to the eyes of the fans. She also gained millions of followers on her social media, celebrating 1M followers on Instagram itself. She is back in Qatar, drawing some eyes as well as criticism.
Knoll a site for fans at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
As her homeland Croatia saw-off the anger from Belgium in their penultimate Group F clash to book their berth in the last-16, the fans rather had their eyes set on Knoll who was back cheering the Luka Modric led side. The model once again donned some revealing clothes, as some men in the stadium were quick to take out their cameras and snap some pictures of her.
One of her fans was quick to bring in some jokes as he commented on her picture:
“That’s it, the guy is caught. The wife is waiting at home with a hammer!”
Meanwhile, some weren’t having that much fun, as one wrote:
“Qatar is not Europe, you shouldn’t go out in this form.”
However, the former Miss Croatia too didn’t hold back, as she gave a befitting reply to those calling her out for her sassy outfits. Ivana also slammed the hosts’ strict rules regarding the outfits of the fans visiting the stadiums to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup games. The German-born model further revealed that she confirmed it with the locals, whether she could wear the sexy outfits. In her staunch attack at the organisers, and her defense she told TMZ Sports:
“The locals confirmed to me that I can wear whatever I want. But I didn’t know that my video in a bikini walking by the sea would be such a big deal. The whole country is speaking about it. Everybody knows me here, and I saw that I was accepted.
“I was never afraid to be arrested to be what I am, and I don’t think I can hurt someone wearing a bikini. And if that deserves to be arrested, then arrest me. 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 and bikinis because I’m Catholic from Croatia who is here because of the World Cup.”
“Visitors are expected to show respect for local culture by avoiding excessively revealing clothing in public. It is generally recommended for men and women to ensure their shoulders and knees are covered.”