THE INFAMOUS “container homes” which saw World Cup fans spend £175-a-night for tiny, sweltering accommodation have been given an incredible new use.
Qatari officials were forced to offer refunds after fans fumed over the shanty-town villages which had leaky toilets and six-hour queues.
Since the World Cup the containers have sat unused after they were packed up and left abandoned without a purpose.
But now the notorious boxes which saw housed thousands of football supporters have been given an incredible new lease of life.
The multi-coloured mobile homes are now on their way to being used as urgent shelter for people 1,800 miles away in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria.
Qatari officials said they always planned to donate 10,000 of the homes but they brought the plans forward – the first batch due to arrive on March 3.
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Turkey and Syria are still reeling from the natural disaster, with the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude quakes killing more than 50,000 people.
The tremor caused more than £70billion worth of damage.
But now Qatar has stepped into help, giving the much-mocked containers an invaluable new job.
Once upon a time, the temporary houses were packed together to provide residency for 60,000 football fans.
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The portable rooms were set up across the desert and could fit two single beds or a double bed, a toilet, a small table and chairs set, mini-fridge and hot drink making facilities.
They received a whirlwind of backlash – with builders still finishing off the shoddy sites as fans arrived for the tournament, which ended with Argentina’s win in December.
Qatar’s World Cup had set up the mobile homes across empty stretches of the desert surrounding Doha.
The flamboyant, brightly coloured cabins sported artificial grass and social areas filled with plush bean bags.
Now some 10,000 of these shipping container-style rooms will be used to house those in need after the catastrophic consequences of the quake.
The portacabins will accommodate people left homeless due to the disastrous quakes.
A ship carrying the first batch of 350 portable homes left Qatar for Turkey on February 13.
The Qatar Fund for Development said they were deployed as shelter to support the earthquake victims.
People have taken to social media to share their thoughts on this incredible new use of the controversial World Cup housing units.
One person wrote: “This is a great idea and hopefully an example for others”
Another said: “YESSSSSSS. @FIFAcom Real Legacy of the world cup for all humanity”.
A third tweeted: “What a great example of humanitarian aid and recycling. I really got a ‘one world’ feeling from reading this news”.
But some people were left questioning the viability of Qatar’s latest humanitarian project.
A Reddit user commented: “I stayed in one of these for 11 days at the World Cup. Far from luxurious but liveable short term”.
Another tweeted: “Team have you packed in solar panels… many areas [have] no electricity… needed for survivors and field hospitals”.
But this is not the only humanitarian aid that Qatar has delivered to the earthquake-hit countries.
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Along with the innovative new use for the mobile homes, Qatar Fund for Development has also sent a group of mobile toilets to Turkey as well as food, medicine and makeshift tents.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
