E-Malt.com News article: Qatar: No alcohol in Qatar stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The sale of alcoholic beverages around stadiums and at some fan gatherings will only be permitted during restricted time slots during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where alcohol consumption is strictly regulated, according to several sources.

Details are still under discussion, sources linked to the organization of the event told AFP.

But the purchase of beer should not be possible inside the stadiums. It should only be allowed around sports grounds, before and after matches.

The FIFA site also promises “beers, champagne, wines and spirits” in VIP areas.

Fans should be able to buy beer during restricted time slots at outdoor gatherings of FIFA supporters. These are to be located in Al Bidda Park, in the center of the capital Doha, and accommodate around 40,000 people.

The other entertainment areas planned for the approximately 1.2 million visitors expected not all will serve alcohol, according to a document from the Supreme Organizing Committee in Qatar dated June 2 and seen by AFP.

Alcoholic beverages would be offered at the Doha Golf Club, which has a capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 people, but is quite out of the way, in an area near the InterContinental Beach & Spa with a capacity of 10,000 people, or on a beach in the West Bay district.

The sale of alcohol should only be authorized between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., several sources said without specifying what areas of supporters. Solicited, FIFA and the Supreme Organizing Committee of the World Cup, which promised announcements “in due time”, had not commented immediately.

Earlier in the year, a source close to the organization had told AFP that the price of beer would be around 6 euros (8 dollars) in outdoor gatherings of supporters (compared to 12 (16 dollars) on average in hotels). This has not been made official.

Asked, FIFA and the Supreme Committee did not comment immediately.

Access to alcoholic beverages during the World Cup- 2022, from November 21 to December 18, has been in question since the tournament was awarded to Qatar, a conservative Muslim country, in 2010.

Consuming alcohol in public places is prohibited there. Visitors are not allowed to bring them into the country, they only have access to them in certain hotel bars and restaurants.

Non-Muslim expatriates can buy them in a dedicated store requiring a specific permit.

Rules regarding the consumption of alcohol in soccer stadiums vary from country to country. During the 2014 World Cup, Brazil had lifted the ban on consuming it in its enclosures, at the request of FIFA.



08 July, 2022