The stands of the stadiums of the World Cup in Qatar will not have alcoholic beverages. The sale of beer outside the arenas will only be allowed before and after certain matches, said a source familiar with the plans for the football championship.
This year’s World Cup is the first to be held in a Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol consumption, presenting unique challenges for organizers of an event often associated with fans drinking beer and sponsored by global beer brands.
“In the stadiums, plans are still being finalized, but the current discussion is to allow fans to have beer on arrival and departure from the stadium, but the drink will not be served during the match or inside the stadium,” the source told the agency. Reuters.
A document dated June 2 and seen by Reuters gives the first look at how organizers plan to deal with the demands of some 1.2 million football fans, many of whom are used to drinking unlimited beer on match days. .
Football’s relationship with drinking has been complicated and, before the 2014 World Cup, Brazil lifted the ban on alcoholic beverages in stadiums after pressure from FIFA.
There has been some doubt over the matter at this year’s tournament since the Arab country in the Persian Gulf won the rights to host it in 2010.
Although Qatar is not a “dry” country like neighboring Saudi Arabia, drinking alcohol in public places is illegal.
However, fans of the November World Cup will also be able to buy beer at restricted times in certain parts of FIFA’s main fan zone, Al Bidda Park in Qatar’s capital Doha.
“Unlike previous World Cup fan zones, beer will not be sold all day, but at restricted times,” the source added.
Alcohol will also be available for 15,000 to 20,000 fans in a disused corner of the Doha Golf Club, a few kilometers from the stadiums and the main fan zone, the document shows.
In addition, a sandy lot surrounded by a 3-meter wall and located between the service entrance of a hotel and a neighborhood cooling plant will be transformed into a venue with a capacity for 10,000 people, promising techno music and alcohol, the document shows.
A spokesperson for the organisers, Qatar’s Supreme Delivery and Legacy Committee, said they, together with FIFA, would announce “in due course” plans on alcohol availability for the 28-day tournament.
“Alcohol is already available in designated areas in Qatar, such as hotels and bars, and this will not change in 2022. With the aim of serving visitors in 2022, alcohol will be available in additional designated areas during the tournament,” said the doorman. -voice.
‘Family friend’
Although FIFA’s website advertises the free flow of “beers, champagne, wines selected by sommeliers and premium spirits” in the VIP suites of the stadiums, there were no sales of drinks in the stadiums in December during a test event of the World Cup.
Visitors are prohibited from bringing alcohol into Qatar, even from the airport’s “duty free”, and are not allowed to shop at the country’s only liquor store outside Doha, where foreign residents with permits can purchase for domestic consumption.
Alcohol can be purchased by visitors to Qatar at some licensed hotels and clubs, where a liter of beer can cost US$18. The price of beer in the “fan zones” and near the stadium has not yet been set, the source said.
Earlier this year, another source close to the discussions told Reuters that drink prices will be capped in fan zones, noting that at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup a liter of beer cost around $6.55 (US$6.55). BRL 35).
While the document predicts “strong demand for international drinks”, it says the main party zone adjacent to FIFA’s fan center will be alcohol-free, offering up to 70,000 fans a 6-kilometer “family-friendly” street carnival.
Rules on the sale of alcohol in football stadiums vary around the world. In Britain, drinks are sold in the lobbies of stadiums, but fans are not allowed to drink in full view of the pitch, while in France nothing is allowed in the stadium.
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