Razeen Gutta
The Lusail Stadium in Qatar will host the Fifa World Cup final this December, however a trial run this week ended in disaster as it was marred by long queues and a lack of water for fans.
The 80,000-seater stadium, which will play host to 10 matches at the global spectacle at year-end, hosted its first ever game on Friday, with Egyptian sides Al Hilal and Zamalek facing off in what was known as the Lusail Super Cup.
Multiple reports have stated that there were an array of teething issues at the almost sold out fixture, with fans struggling to get into the stadium as a result of transportation issues, the first of many problems suffered.
A lack of air conditioning and operational bathrooms were listed among the concerns. And Reuters have reported that vendors in the stadium vicinity went on to run out of water before the end of the first half.
The humid conditions and high temperatures did not make that issue any easier for the 77,575 spectators in attendance.
As the smallest country to ever host the World Cup, Qatar’s authorities will hope that these issues can be sorted ahead of the spectacle, which kicks off two months from now.
Image source: @GOAL
