Day one in Doha: Great reception at The Torch
05.01.2012
Schalke were given a Royal Blue welcome when they arrived in Qatar on Wednesday evening. A total of 4,000 LED blue-and-white spotlights with an output of 35,000 watts on the front of the team hotel, The Torch in Doha, made for a magnificent sight.
Two 12x8 metre LED boards read "Welcome FC Schalke 04", an impressive reception that went down really well after the six-hour flight from Germany. The Royal Blues had set off for Qatar in the morning in two groups. Some flew from Frankfurt to Doha, the rest from Munich.
The Qatar Airways flights contained the entire first-team squad with the exception of long-term absentees Ralf Fährmann, Peer Kluge and Levan Kenia. Tim Hoogland has made the trip to the Arabian Gulf, however. The defender, who has been sidelined with various injuries for the past 18 months, was clearly very happy. Also on board was Sead Kolasinac. The Schalke Under-19 captain has scored six goals in 13 league games and also made eight appearances for Germany U-19s, scoring one goal.
