Iconic World Cup stadiums have long lived in the memory of those who played in and attend the tournament, often standing as a beacon in the backdrop of the host city, but Stadium 974 which held seven games in Doha will soon cease to exist.
Expensive World Cup stadiums have often proven to be white elephants for the host country but the temporary arena that is Stadium 974, unveiled in November last year, has done its job and its prefabricated pieces will soon be dismantled.
Seats from a number of arenas in Qatar will be removed and given to football projects overseas but the fate of the modular elements at Stadium 974 — which organisers say reduced costs and waste generated — is still unclear.
Media reports suggested the containers and other parts that make up the stadium would be shipped to either Africa or Uruguay, who are might be looking to bid for the 2030 World Cup as part of a South American bid.
"Initial work has begun to take the venue out of tournament mode ahead of handing the stadium back to the host country,” tournament organisers said. "The precise timeline for the full dismantling and re-purposing of the stadium is being finalised at the moment.”
Described as the“first fully-demountable tournament venue” in World Cup history, the arena will also host a fashion show on December 16 — two days before the final — with several music artists set to perform.
Stadium 974 is the first stadium fans arriving in Qatar see when they land at the airport. The metal arena sits on the waterfront overlooking the Arabian Gulf and the West Bay skyline, but it could easily be mistaken for a shipping container yard if not for the structure that supports the roof.
Scribe dies during game
Lusail: Grant Wahl, a popular football writer in the US and who was covering his eighth World Cup, died early on Saturday while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match.
US media seated near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in the media tribune at Lusail Stadium during extra time and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance. Emergency services workers responded quickly, the reporters said. They were later told that Wahl had died.
Reporters who knew Wahl said he was 49. He is survived by his wife.
Wahl wore a rainbow T-shirt in support of LGBTQ rights to the US-Wales game on November 21 and had written that security refused him entry and told him to remove the shirt. Gay and lesbian sex is criminalised in Qatar.
Wahl wrote on his website on Monday that he had visited a medical clinic while in Qatar. “My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress can do that to you,” he wrote.
AP/PTI
