First peek inside the sandy Qatari hotel that will house the England squad
It is only 25 minutes from the centre of Doha, costing the equivalent of £10 in a taxi, but the fishing town of Al Wakrah is still one of the 2022 World Cup outposts.
It is also where the England squad will be based in a sandy street just about as far removed as you could imagine from the high-rise opulence associated with some of Qatar’s staggering growth.
“I can remember 20 years ago when children were running barefoot through these very courtyards,” says Aiman Merenciano, one of the senior staff at Souq Al-Wakr, a five-star hotel which remains proudly traditional in its architecture and layout.
“Who chose this?!” joked Gary Neville when he first saw the unpretentious entrance for a recent interview with David Beckham, but he was soon coming around to his old team-mate’s argument that it was a “perfect” base. “You want tranquility more than anything,” said Beckham. “It feels in the middle of nowhere and it is on the beach.”
This is very much old Qatar; a single story maze of immaculate courtyards filled with fountains and concrete benches, in a once fishing and pearling village that dates back to the 18th century.
Oil and gas industries further to the south of the country combined with its close airport proximity have since 'helped to grow Al Wakrah into a town popular with business people as well as tourists.
As Merenciano welcomes us into the lobby and then leads us into a courtyard surrounded by the first terraced cluster of rooms, you can immediately sense the attraction to Gareth Southgate. He places utmost importance on the environment that surrounds his players and the impact that can have on the group dynamic.
There are 101 rooms in total, spread over two areas that are actually separated by the Souq - the local market that contains everything from a Mosque, specialist cafes and gift shops to thriving fresh fish, spice, jewellery and bird markets.
The beach promenade can be accessed from the back of the hotel and, with temperatures expected to hover around the late 20s, desert attractions like camel riding will be within walking distance of the England team.
Merenciano has spent much of the past few years conducting guided tours of the facility. Southgate, he says, has visited several times but also senior staff from Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Belgium and Spain.
“It’s a big, big decision - it’s going to be your home,” says Merenciano. Final ratification of who stays where is made by Fifa and, although Al Wakrah has not yet been officially confirmed as England’s base, their imminent arrival has become an open secret.
World Cup players and staff will have exclusive use of the property from Nov 1 until Dec 20 and, as well as the labyrinth of courtyards, there is a rooftop area that looks ideal for team-meetings. England will have their own in-house chef to oversee the food, and have free reign to adapt the various meeting rooms and facilities to their taste, even if the hotel’s no alcohol policy will remain in place.
There are also several small gyms, various treatment rooms, as well as water beds, hydrotherapy pools, steam rooms and a prayer room, all separated by the original thick walls that were designed to keep interior temperatures down.
The inside is of course now air-conditioned and golf buggies are dotted around the hotel grounds, primarily for the searing summer months when walking even a few hundred metres will result in a large pool of sweat.
“It will be the best weather in November,” says Merenciano. “You might need a light jacket at night in the desert but, in the day, it is amazing. The sun is strong but the air is fresh. There are lots of outside areas for activities.”
Having access to the hotel some 20 days before the tournament starts will be crucial to the Football Association. Just as in Repino, where England stayed at Russia 2018, FA staff will be in early with their ‘home-from-home’ touches that will include family photographs, messages and various games and relaxation areas.
In their trips to Qatar, the FA have evaluated the hotel in the context of the Al Wakrah Sports Club which, since 1959, has been host to one of Qatar’s oldest and best football clubs.
Their stadium complex is just over two miles from the hotel and the site of not just a full-size football pitch surrounded by a 400m athletics track, but a large indoor sports centre, gym and swimming pool. And so, yes, the inflatable unicorns can again be packed.
A media centre will also be created at the Sports Club that is again expected to include pool and table-tennis tables, as well as a darts board.
The aim will be to create a training environment where players and staff want to spend time beyond just their on-field sessions and which is distinct from the living quarters.
On the day we visited, local Qatari children were competing in an indoor football session and it was striking to see so many replica Premier League shirts.
“Sport is huge here - and football is number one,” says Merenciano. And what will the locals make of England? “They will want to show them around - they will be very welcoming and, for sure, there will be a lot of support.”
