Manchester United scout sent to Iceland left disappointed after discovering match is played in Qatar

A Manchester United scout was left disappointed after he was sent to Iceland, only to discover their match against the Czech Republic was played in Qatar.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side have already sealed a berth in next summer's World Cup in Russia following their 2-0 win over Kosovo in October. Iceland will play friendlies against the Czech Republic and Qatar during the ongoing international break.

Both the matches will be played at the Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. The first friendly tie was scheduled on 8 October, which they lost 2-1 to Czech Republic. The second tie against Qatar will be played on 14 November.

According to Icelandic publication Fotbolti.net, United had applied for a ticket to watch Iceland in action in advance. Their request was approved by the Icelandic Football Association (KSI).

United sent a scout from Denmark to Iceland, assuming that their home match will be played at Laugardalsvollur, their national stadium in Reykjavik. Unfortunately, in this case, Iceland played their friendly tie in Qatar.

The Red Devils' Danish scout arrived at Laugardalsvollur, only to see the lights being turned off at the venue where he thought the tie was scheduled. The scout was left shocked after he discovered the match was not being played in Reykjavik. The Icelandic Football Association representative informed the United representative that the match was being played in Qatar, 5,500 miles away.

He knew there was no chance of making it to the Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium, forcing him to settle for the freezing temperatures of Reykjavik, instead of the 30 degree heat in Qatar.

The report did not mention if United were looking forward to watch any specific Icelandic or Czech players in action. Since Jose Mourinho took charge at Old Trafford, the 20-time English champions have strengthened their scouting department.

Javier Ribalta moved to United earlier in the summer after leaving his position as a scouting manager at Juventus. In September, the Red Devils confirmed the addition of Piotr Sadowski to their scouting team as their new representative in the Central Eastern Europe.