Doha, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- George, a 67-year-old Hungarian fan, dragged a heavy suitcase and walked down a freshly pressed black gravel road into a tent in the Qatari desert. Located about 25 kilometres from central Doha, across the bay, the tent is Doha's proud skyscraper complex.
The waiter unzipped the tent, and inside were two single beds, a bedside table and shoe cabinet, a desk lamp and a fan. George placed the box on the bed, relieved. This will be his home for the next 10 days.
In his youth, the Hungarian team was not as proud as it was in the 50s of the 20th century, but it was still a powerhouse in world football. George has been a champion of football since he was a child, and even though he moved to London for many years, his obsession with football has not changed.
This time Hungary did not qualify and he will focus on England. After buying tickets, I found out that accommodation in Qatar was a big problem.
"Accommodation is ridiculously expensive, costing thousands of dollars a night." He told Xinhua outside his tent.
The official website where he booked the tickets recommended him the cheapest tent, which was about $207 per night. For the World Cup, he can only place an order, which is 10 days at a time.
"It's satisfying to see the game." George said.
Zappi, the person in charge of the "hotel", told reporters that in this original desert, 1,800 tents were erected, each tent has two beds, and a total of 3,600 people can be accommodated. The tents officially opened on November 18 and are fully booked from November 22nd. Although the tents are rudimentary, they provide fans with Wi-Fi and transportation to all the venues. The most important thing is that around the tent, the organizing committee has set up three large fan interaction areas, and the room price includes three tickets for the fan interaction area.
When the reporter went to interview, it was only a few hours before the World Cup opener, and there were not many fans staying in. The tent area was empty, and two room attendants from Uganda sat in the aisle between the two tents, sheltered from the wind; Another guy from Kenya greeted reporters with a simple Chinese; The waiters at the kiosk waited for the arrival of customers.
The winter sun in the Gulf was still blazing, and Ihsan, a fan from Iran, passed by in shorts and vests and was very happy to see a reporter from China, who was staying in a tent with an older friend, and the two shared the room fee, which greatly reduced the pressure. Living in the opposite tent is Mohammed, a fan from London, a family of fans in the world, and the three became friends as soon as they met. Mohammed talked about the "pain in the flesh" of the house price, saying that he could only stay here for three days and return home after watching an England match.
Mata and Melanie are rare women in a tent hotel, and the mother and daughter from Costa Rica are wearing national team jerseys and preparing to head out to watch the opener. As a mom, Mata is watching a World Cup live for the fourth time, and Melanie talks about her mother's World Cup experience with pride.
"It took us a lot of effort to come to Qatar, and although living here had to deal with heat, noise and high winds, it was all worth it."
George's biggest wish is that England can go further, he has already bought tickets for the final, and he hopes that by then the price of the central Doha hotel will be lowered and he can move out of the tent hotel and wait comfortably for the final.
The city center is actually very close, but also far away. The wind in the bay is strong, blowing white tents creaking, sand and dust wafting in the air, and the landmark landscape across the bay looms like a mirage. Zappi told reporters that all tents would be dismantled after the World Cup.
At that time, the wind in the bay will still be the same, the sand will still be the same, but there will be no more fans' passion, no more fans' helplessness, and there will be no fans standing here looking at the "mirage" on the other side.