There are indications that accommodations may not be as expected for visitors who have booked space in the ‘Fan Village’.
“It’s still under construction, during the day it’s kind of hell in there. It’s the desert, it’s really hot.”
Surprisingly, Shogo Nakashima makes this critique of the accommodation he will be staying in for the next two weeks in Qatar with a smile on his face – as if to say “I have to laugh so I don’t cry”.
“I can’t change my accommodation right now, so I have to accept that and wait for Japan to leave,” she says. “I’m only staying here to sleep. I’ll go out and explore the city, I don’t want to stay here.”
The 31-year-old Japanese was one of the first to arrive at the Qetaifan Island Fan Village, one of the fan villages located in the north of Doha, a few hours after the facility opened.
Long before most guests arrive, there are indications that accommodations may not be as expected. And there is construction going on in some areas.
On the long, winding path to the field there are audible and visual signals of heavy machinery.
Construction cranes jut into the sky and workers are busy with construction work, from laying paving stones to wiring light.
There are 1,800 tents, each with the capacity to sleep two people.
Pedro and Fatima live in Spain, but are here to cheer for Mexico. They got married in April and this trip is part of the couple’s honeymoon.
“It costs around US$200 (about R$1,070) a night. To be honest, it wasn’t what I expected. When you see the photos and read the description – and it’s a FIFA World Cup – you expect some quality ” says Peter.
“It’s like a crummy hostel you’d find backpacking around the world.”
“It’s like being in a greenhouse, so we weren’t able to sleep after 9, even though we were exhausted from the flight,” he adds.
The tents, made of thick plastic, each contain two single beds and a bedside table with a lamp.
no water in sight
The thin carpet covering the floor is uneven in places as it sits on sand and gravel. A single electric fan completes the accommodation layout.
“There is no organization, nobody knows anything,” Fatima told BBC Sport.
“The shops are closed, there is no drinking water. We really, definitely don’t pay for it.”
As we take a stroll around the place, everyone we talk to shares similar feelings.
For some, the reality of the situation calls for more drastic action. Djamal, who traveled from Paris, paid around €2,700 for a three-week stay at the supporters’ village, but after less than 24 hours there he is packing to leave.
“It’s not a good experience for me. There’s no soap to take a shower, no toothbrush, no toothpaste,” she says.
Djamal also shared with us his booking confirmation document and the fact that he planned to arrive at a hotel.
One plus, albeit a small one, is that the staff here are upbeat, helpful, and always smiling.
Though they sometimes provided conflicting information, such as where and when water could be purchased locally and that a bracelet would be required to purchase it.
A short walk from the fan village is the beach club fan park🇧🇷 There, a screen will show the matches and the sale of alcoholic beverages will be allowed. Timely given the recent announcement of the stadium ban.
OR Bathhouse it also shows signs that it is not fully completed. There are piles of building material scattered around the site, as well as the constant noise of moving vehicles and clanking noises as the structures are being erected.
In the face of all this, the team here are clearly optimistic and confident that the fan park will be ready.
And with Qatar having spent $220 billion on the World Cup, perhaps its ambitious plans cannot be questioned, although the way they have been implemented could be.
However, the country was chosen to host soccer’s biggest competition in 2010, so any sudden rush to get everything ready doesn’t bode well for fans who have traveled to the other side of the world and spent thousands of dollars to be here.
– This text was published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-63706171
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
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