On the eve of its kickoff, the Qatar World Cup is still under construction. On the cornice of Doha, a ballet of diggers deafens passers-by, while a cohort of workers are relentless on the stone of an establishment that has just emerged from the ground. Security agents, in white polo shirts, escort the group of workers, just to prevent any chatter with walkers or journalists who are too curious about their living conditions.
When it won the organization of the World Cup, already twelve years ago, the small emirate had to take up an immense challenge: to provide at least 64,000 accommodations for supporters and teams, in a country barely larger than Corsica. Despite an overall envelope of 220 billion dollars spent on infrastructure, the bet has not quite been met, and the hundreds of thousands of foreigners arriving in Qatar these days will have to do the best they can.
If some seem doomed to go back and forth during the day or to sleep in a neighboring country, those who stay put have to fight for a room: the Covid-19 crisis and the delays in stadium construction have aggravated hotel tension in the emirate. Only one month before the competition, many accommodations have canceled reservations, without necessarily providing explanations. This is the case of the Titouan hotel, which is reserved for media accredited by Fifa. “I will be reimbursed thirty days after my return to France, the young man laughs yellow in the darkness of the Doha media center. Of course, I had to manage alone to relocate myself.”
Caravans, tents and mobile homes
The case was not easy. On private rental platforms, the smallest room in Qatar during the competition costs, at least, 600 euros per night. Almost all hotels are sold out, with prices ranging from 400 to over 5,000 euros per night. Titouan chose to shorten his stay and book a hotel room twice as expensive. All that was left on the market. Others have turned to even more spartan solutions… In an emergency, Qatar has installed fallback solutions for homeless supporters, on the outskirts of cities: caravans, tents on the beach, mobile homes hastily assembled… All under 30°C and a blazing sun.
In the southern suburbs of Doha, very close to the international airport, the organizing committee offers an “ideally located” and “unique” accommodation option, at the “Free Zone” metro exit. For 210 euros per night, supporters can sleep in a fan village cabin, the most economical solution at the World Cup. “I had no choice, all the accommodations I looked at were over 1,000 euros a night,” eludes François, 32, a strategy adviser who is due to arrive in Qatar on Tuesday November 22 for the first match of the French team. This supporter of the Blues intends to stay ten days on site and hopes to experience the World Cup in Qatar “camping style”.
Last sweep
In reality, the Free Zone fan village is more like a bedroom community or a refugee camp. In the middle of a car park, on a still smoking tar, construction huts pile up, while workers shovel up the asphalt for the future sidewalks. Hundreds of modular boxes, which should welcome supporters in a few days, are lined up in mesmerizing symmetry. Inside, journalists are prohibited from observing the state of the cabins.
A little further on in the Free Zone car park, a small group of workers gathers rubble in a trailer, under the gaze of their supervisor. A broad smile that crosses the lower part of her face, her full mustache, India assures her: “Everything will be ready in time”. He wants to respect the instructions given to subcontractors. Ali, an Indian worker, takes his break after laying the artificial turf that covers an alley in the village goes the same way: “It’s just cleaning work. All that’s left is to remove the dust. It’s just one last sweep…” Just north of Doha, another “Fan Village”, that of Qetaifan of Island North, next to the Lusail stadium, is also taking on the appearance of a shambles. On the brochures, the large white tents appear by the sea, with a show stage promising parties and music. In reality, if the azure blue of the waves is present, the platform has not yet been erected. Only the rails of the structure are fixed.
A few meters away, on a concrete slab facing the sea, the tents are glued to each other, without a meter to breathe. Railings frame the camp. If the organizers repeated during a press briefing on Wednesday that everything would be “fantastic” for the supporters welcomed, the disorder in the fan camps raises questions. The concerts organized on the beach of Qetaifan could also take place without drunkenness since doubt still hangs over the ban on alcohol in the fan zones, after a last minute reversal by Qatar. Not really enough to make foreign supporters smile.