Inside Qatar’s huge fan park where a beer costs you £12
ON THE picturesque Doha waterfront a self-contained village is still being built next to Al Bidda Park, but today it will open and welcome up to 40,000 residents from every corner of the planet.
With days to go until the World Cup kicks off, an army of people can be seen working on the infrastructure outside the Fifa Fan Festival – Doha’s biggest fan zone. When you walk in you are met by what looks like the world’s biggest car park, a huge field of concrete. But the space will soon be filled with people. Lots of them.
And if you’re looking for a cheap pint, you’ve come to the wrong town, because at around £11.50 for a bottle of Budweiser, some people are going home with either clear heads or empty pockets. With beer now banned from stadiums, this will be one of the only places supporters can have a beer and watch a game.
Make no mistake though, this is a mightily impressive site.
First of all you’ve got a main stage to rival Glastonbury’s Pyramid, with what must be one of the world’s biggest screens which will show all 64 matches. When there aren’t games, internationally renowned artists including Clean Bandit and Sean Paul will be performing on the stage.
And if that’s not your thing, how about a six-a-side football match. There are a host of pitches on site. A 64-team fan World Cup tournament is being held between each country and there are training and football based games and challenges. There is a Fifa superstore on site. And a Fifa museum.
If you’re bored – you won’t be – why not just have a look up at the broadcasting studios. That’s where the likes of Gary Lineker and his equivalents from every other country will be stationed, above the fans, looking down on the masses.
And if you want to spot footballing greats then have a look at the huge hospitality complex next door where some legends of the game will no doubt be wined and dined. Other than that there’s an adidas pop-up, a Coca-cola lounge and loads of hidden corners, yet to be explored.
But, and it’s a big but, expect to pay.
The Budweiser tent is located behind the hospitality suite and there are only three things on the menu:
Budweiser 500ml – £11.60; Budweiser Zero (non-alcoholic) 500ml – £7; Water 500ml – £2.30 if you’re willing to pay those prices.
Hold on. There are also some rules: Payment will only by accepted on a Visa card (one of Fifa’s main sponsors). Mastercard will not work. Cash is not accepted. Anyone under 21 years of age will not be served.
What about food? Well, that’s a mixed bag. There will be a huge choice in the Fan Festival, with Asian, Middle Eastern, South American, European and North American food kiosks. The menus and prices for those are unknown now but a general menu is already in place at other food outlets on site.
They include: Beef burger – £10.50; Chicken burger – £8; Vegan burger – £7; Pepperoni pizza – £7; Margherita pizza – £6; Beef shawarma – £7; Chicken shawarma – £6; Cold sandwiches – £8; Greek salad – £10.50; Chicken caesar salad – £10.50.
On Wednesday night a test event saw 20,000 people let into the Fan Festival site to assess how it would cope.reports have largely been positive but on the ground there were reports of packed crowds leaving and heading for the metro stations, which although expected also raise questions.
When we visited on Thursday the nearest Metro station was not ready to open. Major roads around the Fan Festival remained closed with workmen on site.
The site itself looks fantastic, but there is little shade and hardly anywhere to sit down. Temperatures were over 30°C on Thursday and while they are expected to cool the park will be warm while the sun is up.
The Metro system, also built for the World Cup is currently working like a dream. It is clean and efficient. But it has yet to be tested by a massive influx of visitors. It remains to be seen if the infrastructure is ready, but Wales fans visiting can expect a quite amazing experience, like nothing they’ve seen before.