Football followers jailed in Kazakhstan for carrying ‘disrespectful’ mankinis to Europa League conflict
Borat might have come from Kazakhstan, but football fans who had travelled to the Central Asian nation saw just how badly the joke went down from his ‘home country’
The trio were jailed for five days(Image: )
Three football fans have been jailed after turning up to watch a match in Kazakhstan dressed in Borat mankinis. The football supporters had been hoping to pay tribute to the iconic cringe film, but locals were less than impressed with their antics.
The Belgian trio, who are believed to be Club Brugge supporters, were arrested after stripping down to the flimsy luminous green costumes in the stands. The threesome had been one of a slew of fans who had travelled to the Central Asian nation to watch their team’s Champions League clash against Kairat Almaty on Tuesday (January 20).
The revealing costume was made popular by English actor Sacha Baron Cohen in his 2006 comedy movie Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The cringeworthy documentary was incredibly controversial, as it poked fun at both his own “nation” and the US.
The trio were among 500 Club Brugge fans who made the near 5,000-mile journey to the Astana Arena to watch their team’s 4-1 victory. Kazakhstani police said: “Three men committed acts during a football match that showed disrespect and disturbed public order.”
They were jailed for five days after being charged with public drunkenness and hooliganism. A spokesman for Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We are offering our compatriots the necessary consular support.
“However, for privacy reasons, we cannot provide any further information.” Baron Cohen’s portrayal of Borat, a fictional Kazakh journalist, enraged the real country with authorities discouraging screenings and threatening legal action over perceived insults to national character.
However, for a 2020 follow-up film, Kazakhstan adopted Borat’s catchphrase ‘Very Nice’’ in a bid to promote tourism. Since then, Kazakhstan has once again stepped away from the film due to Baron Cohen’s depiction of his home “country”, despite the rural scene of the film actually being recorded in Romania.
It comes after FIFA boss Gianni Infantino made a sly dig at British football fans as he addressed diplomats and world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week. He made the joke after it was revealed that not a single British football fan had been arrested at a World Cup during the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Fans were quick to call out Infantino on his comment, however, as many said the joke was in poor taste. “Such a poor joke that’s not even close to being accurate given there was no British nations at World Cup 1994 and plenty of other world cups,” one annoyed user wrote on social media.
A second added: “NOT TRUE! We didn’t qualify for USA 94!” While a third chimed in: “The World Cup in Qatar where alcohol was restricted and expensive; I wonder why?”
The jibe comes amid England’s reputation for having loud and lairy fans, with disruption and chaos caused by many fans supporting the Three Lions. For decades, a ban was put in place at stadiums to stop fans from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from consuming alcohol; however, this has been lifted in time for this year’s tournament.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
