Discover the ‘camp’ for fans that costs BRL 1,070 per night in Qatar

“It’s still under construction, during the day it’s kind of hell in there. It’s the desert, it’s really hot.”

Surprisingly, Shogo Nakashima makes this criticism of the accommodation he will be staying in for the next two weeks, in Qatar, with a smile on his face — as if to say “I have to laugh so I don’t cry”.

“I can’t change my accommodation right now, so I have to accept it and wait for Japan to leave,” he says. “I’m only staying here to sleep. I’m going to go out and explore the city—I don’t want to stay here.”

The 31-year-old Japanese was one of the first to arrive at the Qetaifan Island Fan Village, one of the fan villages located in northern Doha, a few hours after the facility opened its gates.

Long before most guests arrive, there are indications that accommodations may not be as expected. And there are construction works going on in some areas.

On the long, winding path towards the camp, there are audible and visual signs of heavy machinery.

Construction cranes jut skyward, and workers are busy with construction work, from laying paving stones to wiring light.

There are 1,800 tents, each with the capacity to accommodate two people.

Pedro and Fatima live in Spain, but they’re here to cheer for Mexico. They got married in April, and this trip is part of the couple’s honeymoon.

“It costs around US$200 (about R$1,070) a night. To be honest, it wasn’t what I expected. When you see the pictures and read the description — and it’s a FIFA World Cup — you expect a bit of quality”, says Pedro.

“It’s like a subpar hostel you might find backpacking around the world.”

“It’s like being in a greenhouse, so we couldn’t sleep after 9am, even though we were exhausted from the flight,” he adds.

The tents, made of thick plastic, each contain two single beds and a nightstand with a lamp.

no water in sight

The thin layer of carpet covering the floor is uneven in spots as it sits over sand and gravel. A single electric fan completes the accommodation layout.

“There is no organization, nobody knows anything,” Fatima tells BBC Sport.

“The stores are closed, there’s no drinking water. We really, definitely don’t pay for it.”

As we take a walk around the place, everyone we talk to shares similar sentiments.

For some, the reality of the situation calls for more drastic action. Djamal, who traveled from Paris, paid around 2,700 euros for a three-week stay at the supporters’ village – but after less than 24 hours there, he is packing to leave.

“For me, it’s not a good experience. There’s no soap to take a shower, no toothbrush, no toothpaste,” he says.

Djamal also shared with us his booking confirmation document — and the fact that he thought he was arriving at a hotel.

One plus, albeit a small one, is that the staff here are upbeat, helpful and always smiling.

Even if they sometimes gave conflicting information, such as where and when water could be purchased locally — and that a bracelet would be needed to buy it.

A short walk from the supporters’ village is the beach club fan park. There, a screen will display the matches, and the sale of alcoholic beverages will be allowed. Timely given the recent announcement of the stadium ban.

O beach club also shows signs that it is not fully finished. There are piles of construction material scattered around the site, in addition to the constant noise of moving vehicles and metallic noises when structures are erected.

In the face of all this, the team here is clearly optimistic and confident that the fans’ park will be ready.

And with Qatar spending $220 billion on the World Cup, perhaps its ambitious plans cannot be called into question, even if the way they were executed might.

However, the country was chosen to host football’s biggest competition in 2010, so any sudden rush to get everything ready does not bode well for supporters who have traveled halfway around the world and spent thousands of dollars to be here.

This text was published on the BBC News Brasil website.