Published: Nov 17, 2022, 08:32 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 18, 2022, 08:33 AM (IST)
Doha: Lionel Messi and his Argentine teammates will be staying in the student halls of the Qatar University instead of five-star luxury hotels during the FIFA World Cup 2022, according to a report in Mail Online.
The Argentine contingent led by Messi arrived in early hours of Thursday and headed straight to their preffered low-key accommodation.
According to the report, Argentina’s decision to stay in the student halls was taken keeping in mind that it would allow them to organise mouth-watering asados and traditional barbeques, that falls under the country’s authentic delicacies.
It is understood that a special barbecue area has been built on the grounds of the university campus that would allow Messi and Co. to enjoy mainly beef steaks and sausages cooked in traditional Argentine way.
The dish is usually served with salad and wine although the Argentina players would be under strict diet. “We visited the campus several times and chose it because not only does it have great facilities but it also has open air space for asados,” a source from Argentina Football Association (AFA) was quoted as saying to Mail Online.
“This is very important to the players and Argentines in general, it’s part of our culture. We want to make them feel at home while they are in Qatar and the best way to do this is to make sure that they get a taste of home while focusing on the football.
“You could say other teams have opted to stay in more luxurious accommodation but our team is the best in the world which also deserves the best beef. Our focus is to win the World Cup, not the quality of the hotel we are staying in,” the AFA source added.
Situated on the outskirts of Doha, the section of the Qatar University in which the Argentina contingent would be putting up has 90 rooms, state of the art sports facilities, an Olympic size swimming pool and a 10,000 capacity football stadium.
Argentina are placed in Group C alongside Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. Messi and Co. play their opener against Saudi Arabia on November 22. They play Mexico and Poland on November 26 and 30 respectively.
