PANJIM: Jet-setting footballers they may well be but Lionel Messi and his Argentinian teammates have rejected their 5-star hotel accommodation at the World Cup for student halls at Qatar University.
And it isn’t any penchant for academics that inspired this rather unusual preference for accommodation. It’s just that the Albiceleste want their cherished barbeques or asados as they call them in Argentina.
After the team touched down in Doha on Thursday, it headed to Qatar University to stay in the student halls there.
Argentine Football Association (AFA) supported the decision, all for the lure of the asado, the country’s traditional barbeque.
Said an AFA official: “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. 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”, the official further added.
No time was wasted in installing a custom-built barbecue so that the prima donnas can savour the servings of the asado — barbequed meat, coated lightly with coarse salt then paired with a salad and wine.
Qatar University is a leading academic institution in the region, with state-of-the-art sporting facilities. Other than a 10,000 capacity stadium and an Olympic-size swimming pool.
So when it comes to the grind, Argentina will not be short of anything to support their quest to win a third World Cup title.
Should they succeed, not a little should be credited to the asado that appear to enjoy a similar status in Argentina as the beautiful game and the tango.
