DOHA, Qatar | You thought that was what it was, but that’s not what it was. Why are you being given a chorus by the Quebec hip-hop group Alaclair Ensemble? Because that pretty much sums up the experience of many visitors who have chosen to stay in one or another of the fan villages that are scattered all over Doha.
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For around US$200 a night, they are housed in containers that have been fitted out with two beds and a small bathroom.
Some villages are more made of tents. In the desert, we remember it.
The experience has not been up to the mark for hundreds of amateurs, the disconcerting stories have been numerous for a week.
So we decided to go take a look for ourselves to get a feel for it.
Very hot
We went to the Free Zone village which is about fifteen minutes by metro from downtown Doha.
Once out of the metro entrance, you have to walk nearly ten minutes in a parking lot under a blazing sun to reach the village, which contains several hundred containers of various colors.
On site, there is no queue, it’s clean and you can see the supporters looking for shade.
The village is big, very big even.
To walk the central aisle from end to end, it takes about ten minutes.
Moreover, two Canadians crossed at speed tell us that they had to walk almost a kilometer to reach their room after the game and the disappointment, Sunday evening.
“Otherwise, the check-in took two minutes,” one of them told us.
Photo Dave Levesque
No ticket for a game, no big deal. The games are broadcast on a giant screen in the fan villages in an equipped space. A bit of comfort under a blazing sun.
The main flaw of this village is that it was installed in the middle of the desert, so it is a huge island of heat where shade is rare.
But it must be admitted that the village offers many services.
There is a central place to watch the matches on a giant screen.
Services and horror stories
There is also some entertainment.
Photo Dave Levesque
Soccer fans who live in these villages find different businesses for their needs, even a Starbucks coffee kiosk
Also, the food offer is more than decent, with plenty of options. There’s even a Starbucks.
And there is a pharmacy on site for basic necessities.
This visit, during which it was not possible to visit the interior of a room, therefore contrasts with certain horror stories that have emanated from these villages in recent days.
First there is the wait.
Check-in was nightmarish in many cases and a Quebecer we met the day before, David Dicso, confirms this.
“When we arrived early in the morning, around 4 or 5 a.m., we saw lines of people. We spoke to English people who had been waiting for four hours and they told us that there were no keys. It was therefore overbooked, and yet we had booked everything since July.
“Moroccans explained to us that they had been waiting for five hours, that they had to register on the 25th and it was already the 26th. We ended up understanding that the people who were already in the village decided to stay longer. »
David therefore chose to go and stay elsewhere. (see text opposite)
Besides the long lines, stories about the cleanliness of the place abounded.
Flooded apartment
“We are in the village of Baraw and our apartment has been flooded for two days. We gave up and went elsewhere,” people told the Australian newspaper. The Sun.
In their case, we can understand. The floor was full of sewage due to a toilet leak and they had no hot water.
In the case of the village of Zafaran, located a stone’s throw from the Lusail stadium, travelers arrived to find that the small apartments were not ready to be lived in even after the start of the World Cup.
One supporter even created a TikTok account, fanvillageqatar, which he uses to document his misfortunes since arriving in the village.
In a condo rather than in the village
Two Quebecers received an offer that was hard to refuse
Photo Dave Levesque
David Dicso and Marc-Olivier Lafontaine-Côté are in Qatar to support Canada and experience the frenzy of the World Cup.
DOHA, Qatar | David Dicso and his friend Marc-Olivier Lafontaine-Côté had to stay in a container at the Free Zone fan village. They never set foot in their small apartment.
They arrived there before sunrise on Saturday and found there was a several hour wait just to get a key.
“We were tired, we hadn’t slept on the plane, we were suffering from time lag and we couldn’t drop off our suitcases. It was very early, I can only imagine what it was like at 4 p.m. during the official taping,” David said.
And by asking questions around them, they realized that the village had accepted more reservations than there were places available. In addition, some received a key for a single room when they needed two.
David and Marc-Olivier then received an intriguing offer. Enough to hop on an Uber and go see what it was all about.
Photo courtesy of David Dicso
The exterior view of the condo where the two guys live in a brand new neighborhood.
“A lady from FIFA came to see us, offered us a shuttle and a condo 15 minutes away, explains David. She showed us pictures and it was beautiful. »
“From what I understand, these are condos that have not been rented because there are not many people compared to other World Cups.
Surprise ! a shared condo
But there was already a little surprise at check-in even though they didn’t have to pay a penny more.
“We were asked for our payment voucher [qui prouvait notre achat au village] and we were told it was a shared flat, so we’re with a family of Australians,” says David.
They are therefore well housed for a few days in a brand new condo. It’s so new that the plastic film that protects the kitchen cabinets has not been removed.
“It’s beautiful and luxurious, but it was done quickly and there are gaps everywhere. In the kitchen, there is a water leak under the sink and it is continuous. I have to mop up with a towel,” says David.
And as for a private space in a shared condo, we’ll come back.
“When we wanted to leave and wanted to lock the door, we realized that the keyhole didn’t line up with the latch on our bedroom door, so we couldn’t lock it. We’re waiting for someone to come and fix it. »
A clear message
Marc-Olivier is only in Doha for a week, but David will be there for three weeks. He will spend a few days at the condo and then settle down for a few days on a cruise ship that is moored at the port.
“I have to go back to spend other days in the village during my stay,” he admits.
The enthusiasm is not particularly there, especially since when he left for the condo, he received a clear message from the employees.
“In the village, all the people who worked there told us not to stay there and to go to the condo complex. »