Fienus Boss from Odoorn is like brilliant man one of the most famous Orange supporters from our province. The 62-year-old born Valthermondje travels all over the world to encourage the Dutch national team and so he flies to Qatar this winter for the World Cup. A pricey trip, as it turns out.
All in all, the football trip will cost him 6,000 euros, Baas expects. He will stay in Qatar from November 18 to December 1 and has tickets for all group matches of the Dutch National Team. “If you add it all up, it adds up quite a bit. With the accommodation, the plane ticket and tickets to the games, you’ve lost a thousand or six.”
Although there are also expenses that he somewhat regrets. “We also rented a car,” he says. But that investment has not been well thought out, according to Baas. “When you leave Doha (the capital of Qatar, ed.), it’s a sandbox. After a two-hour drive, you’re still in the same sandbox. And I can also see the camels that whirl there in Emmen, so they rental car might be a bit of a waste of money.”
He himself shares the costs with nine other supporters. Arranging accommodation in the Arab Emirate has been difficult. “We were there early and had arranged an apartment outside FIFA. With a number of supporters from the west, it was affordable.”
So there is no problem, until the World Football Association reports. “Fifa manages everything regarding accommodations in Qatar around the tournament, so we suddenly received a message that our apartment was not going through.”
Boss and his companions frown. After all, a down payment has been made. “From 3,000 euros. So a substantial amount. We are still waiting for that money.” Ultimately, the Dutch manage to get an apartment through FIFA, but there appears to be a considerable price difference between the FIFA apartment and the previously arranged apartment. “Fortunately, they were able to make it a little cheaper for us.”