Qatar’s big stadium debuts with big problems

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to kickoff in Qatar, a mere two months away, various issues have emerged regarding the tournament’s biggest and newest venue - Lusail Stadium.

The 80,000 seat stadium, hosted its first match last week as Al Hilal of the Saudi Arabian Professional League took on Zamalek of the Egyptian Premier League.

Reviews of the facility were mixed to say the least:

There’s no water, no Pepsi, no food,” said Qatari influencer Hussain al Ashaq. “Everyone is struggling to find anything to eat or drink.”

“This is such a mess,” Eslam, an Egyptian fan who lives in Qatar, told Reuters. “I don’t want to go to the World Cup anymore. Not if it’s like this.”

“I had to carry my young son because he was tired from walking and was so dehydrated,” Mohammed told Doha News. “There was no water at all, the volunteers kept saying ‘I don’t know’ every time I asked how far we have left.”

“I spent 20 minutes looking for the female bathroom,” one fan told Doha News. “For some reason, no one knew where it was. Everyone gave the wrong directions. It was so tiring and frustrating,”

A spokesperson for Qatar said that the issues would be resolved prior to the tournament’s opening match. However, even those who worked as vendors at the stadium were not sure where the various amenities were located throughout the facility.

“Even some ambulances were driving around trying to figure out where they were supposed to be positioned,” one anonymous supplier told Reuters. “We were given the wrong directions over and over and the parking passes we had were for lots that didn’t exist.”

The Lusail stadium is one of the eight stadiums built in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It will host 10 matches during the tournament including the inaugural game between Saudi Arabia and Argentina on November 22nd, as well as the final slated for December 18th.

Qatar’s construction controversy in building the stadiums has been the topic of much criticism - specifically the exploitation of imported migrant labor.

Amnesty International has accused Qatar of using exploitative labor practices by hiring workers from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh to build the stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

According to the organization, the laborers were subjected to harsh working conditions, including delays in their salaries and near-slavery living conditions.

In 2021, it was reported that over 6,500 individuals died in the construction of the stadiums in Qatar - an average of 12 deaths a day.

In May, FIFA president Gianni Infantino denied the allegations regarding the working conditions of the laborers, dismissing the allegations.

“When you give work to somebody, even in hard conditions, you give him dignity and pride,” Infantino said, via USA Today. “It’s not charity. You don’t make charity. You don’t give something to somebody and say, ‘Stay where you are. I give you something and I feel good.’

“Now 6,000 might have died in other works and so on,” Infantino added, “and of course, FIFA is not the police of the world or responsible for everything that happens around the world. But thanks to FIFA, thanks to football, we have been able to address the status of all the 1.5 million workers working in Qatar.”

Qatar is expecting around 1.2 million visitors - about half of the country’s total population, during the duration of the World Cup. It’s estimated that the event will boost the country’s economy by around $17 billion.

Despite the two months that are left before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, the news about the event is still focused on the country hosting - instead of the players competing.