Our history : modest Doha stadium far cry from World Cup venues
Issued on:
01/02/2021 - 10:28 4 min
Doha (AFP)
Away from the lavish air conditioning and hand-manicured turf of Qatar s World Cup Stadiums, two of which will host the world s best clubs from Thursday, sits Doha Sports Stadium.
The modest ground, the first in the Gulf with a grass pitch, nestles in the heart of the old city flanked by low-slung concrete villas, Doha s modest inventory of dive bars, and a bus station.
Despite its deceptively simple exterior of low walls it has hosted footballing titans including Pele as well as boxer Muhammad Ali, known as Cassius Clay until 1964, since opening its doors in 1962.