Stranded World Cup Fans Offered Full Refunds For Staying In An Unfurnished Building
Some fans have found the World Cup “fan villages” lacking. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)
LAGOS NOVEMBER 25TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Stranded World Cup fans who hoped to stay in “fan villages” are being offered full refunds by the Supreme Committee in charge of organizing the event, according to ESPN.
Those fans were left without acceptable accommodations after “fan village” sites were left without basic amenities, like toilets and wash basins. The “fan villages” were constructed to allow World Cup fans to attend the event cheaply. For $200 a night, fans believed they would be staying in a converted shipping container furnished with basic amenities. When those fans arrived, they discovered some of the sites were unfinished and still under construction.
After outrage and complaints, the Supreme Committee, which is run by the Qatari government, issued full refunds to those fans. The Committee issued a statement to ESPN, saying the sites were managed by “private entities” and did not meet “required standards that were advertised to fans.”
Before the World Cup started, pictures emerged showing what appears to be a finished — or nearly finished — “fan village.”
Those images show multiple shipping containers dressed up to look like mini houses, a soccer pitch and a communal viewing area.
Fan villages present yet another World Cup controversy
The decision to host the World Cup in Qatar was criticized almost immediately. The country criminalizes homosexuality, which has led to protests at the event. Some teams wore rainbow armbands in support of LGBTQ fans, but FIFA threatened those teams with sanctions if they continued wearing those armbands. The German team responded by covering their mouths in support of human rights.
Qatar also came under fire for its treatment of migrant workers who built up the area in preparation for the World Cup. It’s unclear how many workers died so Qatar could host the event.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino attempted to address some of those issues during a news conference critics called “crass” and “infuriating.”
Yahoo/Sports
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Posted by News Rangers
on Nov 25 2022. Filed under National, Sports.
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