Lionel Messi and his Argentine teammates arrived in Doha, early on Thursday, ahead of the Qatar World Cup tournament but unlike other teams who lodged in some of the city’s most luxurious hotels, the Argentines decided to stay in a more basic lodging in one of Qatar University halls.
Argentine’s contenders, the England team are enjoying the aura of the luxurious five-star Souq Al Wakra, which embodies a variety of fine dining options and has rooms and suites with thatched roofs.
Their US counterpart is arguably basking in the delights of the hotel Marsa Malaz Kempinski which is situated on the man-made Pearl Island, one of Qatar’s most exclusive regions.
Wales are also enjoying the World Cup’s most luxurious stay, lodging in the Delta Hotels City Centre Doha, one of the city’s exotic hotels which shows off stunning rooms and several five-star restaurants.
However, Argentina has jettisoned a luxurious lodge and chosen to stay in student halls at Qatar University in Doha during the World Cup in Qatar.
Argentine football officials made the unprecedented decision to lodge in the student hall, inferring that the University’s large site would allow the players to host delicious asados and traditional barbecues that are one of Qatar’s culinary delights.
There’s a special grill area set up for the asados on the university’s ground and the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi alongside his teammates will be able to enjoy a variety of mainly beef steaks and sausages which will be barbecued in the traditional Argentine way and only lightly garnished with coarse salt.
The Argentina team, which is regarded as one of the favorites to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, received sumptuous beef from the South American country; the best beef dealer in the world.
Moreover, to ensure the beef is prepared exactly as it would be in Argentina, an expert Asado chef will also be present to prepare the Argentine’s delicious traditional beef barbecues during their stay.
One of the Argentina Football Association officials revealed that the university hall was preferred to any five-star hotel because of its open space and its excellent facilities.
He said: “We visited the campus several times and chose it because not only does it have excellent facilities, but it also has open-air space for asados.
“The players and Argentines in general place a high value on this since it is ingrained in our culture.
“Making sure they experience a little bit of home while concentrating on the football is the best way to ensure that they feel at home while they are in Qatar.”
The respondent further revealed that Argentina’s team is no doubt the best in the world, hence, a more private, conducive, and spacious lodge that will assist in winning the World Cup is preferred to a classic hotel.
He concluded: “You could argue that other teams have chosen to stay in more opulent lodgings, but our team is the best in the world, so we also deserve the best beef,” he continued. “We are more concerned with winning the World Cup than the standard of the hotel we are staying in.”
Other teams have opted to lodge in more luxurious accommodations but the Argentina team made a unique choice by staying in one of Qatar’s university halls.
Lodging in the students’ hall will give the Argentines some privacy and avoid any distraction that could be detrimental to their World Cup ambition.
Moreover, the section of the Qatar University campus which houses the Argentina team is made up of 90 rooms, including a state of the art sports facilities, an Olympic size swimming pool, and its 10,000-capacity football stadium.
The Qatar World Cup competition will kick off on November 20 and Argentina will hopefully kickstart their World Cup campaign with a victory as they will lock horns with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, November 2022.
