Gareth Southgate 'targeting secluded basecamp for his stars in Qatar'
England manager Gareth Southgate ‘is targeting a more secluded basecamp for his players in Qatar’ ahead of next year’s World Cup… with travelling Three Lions party ‘preferring to stay outside busy capital city Doha’
- The FA have been scouting out potential Qatar locations for England to stay at
- Gareth Southgate reportedly favours a secluded basecamp for the World Cup
- Three Lions manager Southgate and an FA delegation have visited the peninsula
- Ideally, they would want to stay ‘out west’ and away from the capital city, Doha
Gareth Southgate is targeting a more secluded basecamp camp for his England players, preferably outside of Qatar’s capital city Doha, at next year’s World Cup, according to reports.
Manager Southgate and members of the FA are said to have visited the Gulf State to scout out potential hotels for the squad to stay at during the tournament, and it is believed they are keen for a quiet location.
The Telegraph claim that the travelling party would ideally stay ‘out west’, which would take them away from the bustling hub, and to the western edges of Qatar.
Gareth Southgate is targeting a more secluded base for his England players in Qatar next year
It is likely that it would take no longer than an hour for the Three Lions to travel to each of the eight venues, owing to the small size of the peninsula.
Another delegation from the FA, which will again feature Southgate, is reportedly set to return next month to earmark other possible sites.
The England boss and other key personnel from the governing body, including their former chairman Greg Clarke and ex-operations manager Stuart Brown, previously touched down in Qatar in 2019 to examine venues.
The Three Lions are reportedly hopeful of staying outside of the peninsula’s capital city, Doha
In the build-up to the competition, the FA will speak to players and their families over the coming days to outline their proposals over tickets next year.
The same outlet adds that, as part of these talks with families, hotels that are accessible to their own potential basecamp will be suggested.
Selecting a venue for the squad has been an integral part of England’s preparations for major tournaments over the years. The difference for Qatar, however, is that the hectic scheduling means players will have reduced free time.
In an extraordinary move, the World Cup will begin just eight days after the Premier League’s winter break comes into force, and matches will be every four days.
Four of the host stadiums (pictured: the Al-Thumama Stadium) are based inside Doha itself
Every team competing will also be assigned a training ground. These must feature at least two pitches compliant with FIFA’s guidelines, as well as a gym, dressing room, catering and facilities for the media and spectators.
In recent years, England stayed in Repino, a town outside of St Petersburg, for the 2018 World Cup in Russia – and they opted for the FA’s state-of-the-art hub, St George’s Park, for last summer’s Euro 2020.
Their qualification for Qatar appears a mere formality, meanwhile, with the Three Lions needing to earn just a point in their next clash against minnows San Marino.
They find themselves in a strong position after beating Albania 5-0 yesterday, in a fixture which saw captain Harry Kane score a hat-trick.
Southgate and another FA delegation are expected to return to Qatar again to scout out hotels
At full-time, Southgate was full of praise for his talisman, and insisted ‘form is always temporary’ following Kane’s stuttering start to the season.
‘What pleased me most was his all round performance because he is always going to score goals, we know that,’ he added.
‘But he was really on song tonight. I thought Harry gave a brilliant centre forward’s performance – held the ball up, played other people in.
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in the win over Albania, meaning England need a point to qualify
‘But I thought it was very strong team performance. I think we had an edge about us and we are at our best with an edge.
‘We wanted a collective response from the last game (where we drew 1-1 very Hungary) and we’ve spoken about that all week.
‘We addressed that tonight, it’s hard to pick out any individuals.’
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