|
The Gulf state will host the first World Cup in the Middle East,
the first in a Muslim state, and no other tournament has ever
been held in the northern hemisphere winter.
Qatar, which is roughly the size of Jamaica, is also the
smallest state to have held soccer's biggest event, with fans
from the 32 competing nations set to watch games at eight
stadiums clustered around the only major city -- Doha.
On the plus side that means supporters will be able to easily
reach all the venues, raising the possibility of watching more
than one match in a day -- in contrast to recent tournaments in
Russia and Brazil where flights were often needed to travel to
each venue city.
But it is also means there will be a real squeeze on Qatar's
limited accommodation market, with organisers estimating 1.2
million fans to visit the country over the 28 days of the
tournament.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who inherited the decision to
allow Qatar to host the tournament after taking over from his
scandal-hit predecessor Sepp Blatter, initially looked at the
possibility of other countries in the region sharing hosting
duties.
But while that option was eventually ruled out, Infantino is
still keen to portray the tournament as a chance for fans to
experience the broader Arab world.
"There will be accommodation for everyone who wants to stay in
Qatar, but maybe somebody then wants to make a day in Dubai or
Abu Dubai or Muscat or Riyadh or Jeddah or whatever in the
region and they will have the opportunity to go and visit other
countries throughout their stay in this region," he told Reuters
in an interview.
"That is certainly what we also recommend, because I think one
of the biggest experiences in this particular World Cup... is an
opportunity for people to come to a country and a part of the
world that they maybe do not know," he added.
It is a worthy suggestion but is one which is arguably only
really an option for those with large pockets, and it contrasts
with Qatari organisers' efforts to make the World Cup accessible
for fans with more modest budgets.
CAPPED ROOM RATE
Organisers have put caps on the room rates hotels can charge
supporters, with three star rates capped at around $120.
Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy has promised
130,000 rooms, including hotels and 60,000 rooms in apartments
and villas, plus around 4000 rooms on two cruise ships and the
remainder in fan villages.
Officials are also trying to make sure that fans, used to
enjoying plenty of beer with their football, have alternatives
to the pricey expat hotel bars where a pint of beer can cost
around $18.
Although alcohol is normally only available in such settings,
special 'fan zones' will be set up across the country during the
tournament so that supporters can watch games and drink for more
familiar prices.
"Alcohol prices will be capped in the fan zones, similar to what
was seen at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 where a pint was
around five pounds ($6.55)," said a source close to the
discussions.
The fan zones -- and other venues -- will have to cope with fans
from all 32 countries, in contrast to most tournaments where
cities host just two nations at a time before games.
"I believe that having so many nationalities and people coming
together and mingling together will be really beneficial, and
will also move and elevate the World Cup into a big, big social
gathering," said Infantino.
That gathering might, however, require some skilled security and
policing, given football tournaments have had a history of rival
supporters clashing.
($1 = 0.7631 pounds)
(Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
