Al- Rayyan stadium - recycling into FIFA 2022

The proposed venue for one of the quarterfinals in the World Cup will be ready in the course of 2019.

Al-Rayyan stadium is one of the proposed venues for the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup.

 

Close-knit and smaller compared to the Lusail stadium, there is a homely feel in the Al-Rayyan Sporting Club premises. The warmth in the air is nothing but fan love over the years. It is the most popular among all Qatar Stars League clubs for the passionate spectators.

The old stadium has been demolished to cater to the FIFA ‘upgrade’ requirements ahead of the World Cup in 2022. But there is a catch.

READ: Lusail Stadium, 2022 Qatar World Cup's grand theatre  

Keeping the memories, sentiments and FIFA regulations in mind, the under-construction venue at the same spot is a recycled version of the old. With a 40,000 capacity, Al-Rayyan is the proposed venue for staging one of the quarterfinal matches of the 2022 World Cup.

Al-Rayyan stadium is being re-constructed to match FIFA standards for the 2022 World Cup. The work is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

 

Project manager Abdulla al-Fehani flaunted the number ‘85 per cent’ when asked how much demolished raw materials were being used. “Our focus is sustainability. We did a special demolition where we used a portion of the demolished sand and cement to build this one. The sand that you see here is from the old stadium.”

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Even the seat layout is expected to have the Al-Rayyan logo in red and black. During the demolition drive, a few old seat plates were distributed among the fans.

Pitch preparation

The stadium could be completed within the course of 2019 as the pitch is ready. “They have built a pitch that is outside. It is done. As soon as the building is ready, the pitch will be moved to the park. The remaining portion of the grass will remain as backup,” he added.

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Al-Fehani, however, has no analysis of the costs saved. The power supply will come from the government. Talking about the cooling systems, he said, “We have an energy centre, which has the capacity for the cooling operations.”

Once completed, there will be trial games at the venue to test the facilities.

As infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro is part of the project, one can proudly say that for the first time, the greatest ever tournament is closer to India.

(The writer is in Qatar on an invitation by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy)