Only half the number of Swiss fans in Russia are expected to participate in the World Cup in Qatar in 2018. There are reasons for that.
4 years ago in Russia, about 5,000 Swiss fans attended the group match against Brazil. In Qatar, only about 2,500 fight fans are expected from Switzerland for the same label. Adrian Arnold, head of media at SFV, sees three reasons for this downturn:
- November is not a classic holiday month.
- There is only a small selection of hotels in Qatar and the rooms are rather expensive.
- Discussions about the human rights situation in Qatar prevent many fans from going to the World Cup.
Longtime Nati fan Thomas Lehmann explains the dimensions of the trip to the World Cup in Qatar. The first search for accommodation yielded “no results”. “We thought it couldn’t be.”
The following query a few weeks later resulted in 3 accommodations. «10 nights of CHF 25,000 and up. “It wasn’t what we imagined,” Lyman says. Although the organizers hastily made additional accommodations in the form of tents and containers, their prices were high with relatively modest comfort.
What will be possible on the site?
There is also uncertainty about what will be possible at the site. Will fan parades be possible? Will you be able to have a beer? Despite all the restrictions, will the mood be cheerful or rather pent-up? In short: what do you expect? These questions excite fans like Lehmann.
Lyman is now trying to get rid of the tickets he’s already bought. It shouldn’t be the only one. Fans who booked bundles consisting of match tickets including accommodation fared better. But here, too, the official Swiss tour operator Travelclub notes that it has been cautious and offered far fewer offers than it was four years ago.
Only half of the serving has been used
Currently, only about 50 percent of the set of tickets that were intended for Switzerland at the World Cup have been sold, Arnold says. It is therefore possible that receiving the controversial World Cup award for Qatar will be in the form of half-empty stadiums with a mild atmosphere – at least for matches with Swiss participation.
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