DOHA — The 32 football teams taking part in
this year’s
World Cup will be based in copies of Arabian palaces, in wellness
resorts, and luxury hotels where alcohol is banned, FIFA said Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
According to a list released by the sport’s world
governing body, 24 of the teams will be in bases — hotels but also university
lodgings — concentrated around the capital.
All teams have chosen to stay in the tiny Gulf state
for the tournament which starts on November 18.
Defending champions France will be at the
Al-Messila, a resort near Doha that boasts of its “private palace setting”.
Villas can cost more than $2,500 a night — not including champagne.
Germany will be in the Zulal overlooking the Gulf
that bills itself as the biggest wellness resort in the
Middle East. Owned by
Qatar’s ruling family, the resort’s royal suite costs more than $10,000 a
night.
Manuel Neuer and his teammates will be the furthest
from Doha, a 100km drive to the capital.
The resort advocates “traditional Arabic and Islamic
medicine” and has a strict no alcohol rule.
Zulal general manager Daniele Vastolo said a lot of
the teams had visited the resort because it allowed them to be “in a bubble”
away from Doha’s crowds.
World Cup solitude
He added that security would
also be easier as there is only one entrance.
“There will be no fans coming here bothering the
guests or team to ask for photographs and autographs. So I think here they can
really be isolated. “But at the same time, if they have one day that they look
for distractions, they can drive to Doha.”
Fans will get easier access to the Al-Shamal Stadium
nearby, the German training ground, which is styled on a fortress.
Belgium have chosen the Hilton Salwa on the opposite
coast with its own private beach, a private water theme park, with slides and
cliff jumps, and villas costing up to $7,000 a night.
It is a favored weekend destination for rich
families in the Gulf state that has one of the world’s highest per capita
incomes.
England is in the Souq Al-Wakra hotel, where
authorities plan to close off a section of the nearby public beach for Harry
Kane and the rest of the squad.
There is no alcohol, as in most of
Qatar, but the
hotel facilities are being modified to bring in extra gym equipment and video
games, and other entertainment for the players.
The bulk of the teams are in hotels “within a 10km
radius of each other, further ensuring that the event’s thrilling atmosphere is
concentrated in and around Doha”, FIFA said.
Brazil have chosen the city center Westin near a
main road, while the US will be in the main district for expatriate residents.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina and former champions Spain
have opted for “luxury” lodgings at Qatar University from where they can walk
to their training ground.
More than one million fans are expected to visit
Qatar for the tournament that finishes on December 18.
Some will be in $2,000 a night hotels but many are
expected to stay in cheaper portable cabins and desert camps.
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