 |
| 02 April 2022, Qatar, Al Rayyan: A building complex with offices, stores and cafes in the shape of the number 2022 stands on the access road to the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan near Doha. |
Qatar’s World Cup stadium stands are set to be
alcohol-free, with beer sales outside arenas only allowed before and after some
matches.
This year’s World Cup is the first to be held in a
Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, presenting unique challenges
for organisers of an event often associated with beer-drinking fans and
sponsored by global brewing brands.
“At stadiums, the plans are still being
finalised, but the current discussion is to allow fans to have beer upon
arrival and when leaving [a] stadium, but beer won’t be served during the match
or inside the stadium bowl,” a source told Reuters on Friday.
A document dated June 2 gives the first insight into
how organisers plan to handle the demands of an estimated 1.2 million soccer
fans, many of whom are used to drinking beer without limits on match days.
Soccer’s relationship with booze has long been a
tricky one and in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup, Brazil lifted a ban on
alcohol at stadiums after pressure from governing body FIFA.
There has been a question mark over alcohol at this
year’s tournament since the Gulf Arab state won hosting rights in 2010. While
not a “dry” state like neighbouring Saudi Arabia, consuming alcohol
in public places is illegal in Qatar.
However, fans at November’s World Cup will also be
able to buy beer during restricted times in certain parts of the main FIFA fan
zone in the Al Bidda park in Doha, the Qatari capital.
“Unlike previous World Cup fan zones, beer
won’t be served all day long, but at restricted times,” the source added.
Alcohol will also be available for 15,000 to 20,000
fans on a disused corner of the Doha Golf Club, some kilometres away from
stadiums and the main fan zone, the document shows.
In addition, a sandy plot surrounded by a 3-metre
wall and located between the delivery entrance of a hotel and a district
cooling plant will be transformed into a 10,000-capacity venue promising Techno
music and alcohol, the document shows.
A spokesperson for the organisers, Qatar’s Supreme
Committee for Delivery and Legacy, said that together with FIFA they will
announce plans on the availability of alcohol at the 28-day tournament “in
due course”.
“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 catering to visiting fans in 2022, alcohol will be available in
additional designated areas during the tournament,” the spokesperson said.
Although FIFA’s website advertises free-flowing
“beers, Champagne, sommelier-selected wines, and premium spirits” in
stadium VIP hospitality suites, alcohol was not sold in stadiums in December
during a test event for the World Cup.
Visitors are prohibited from carrying alcohol into
Qatar, even from airport duty free, and they cannot shop at the country’s only
liquor store, on the outskirts of Doha, where foreign residents with permits
can buy for home consumption.
Alcohol can be bought by visitors to Qatar at a
handful of licensed hotels and clubs, where a pint of beer can cost $18.
The price of beer inside the fan zones and close to
the stadium has not yet been agreed upon.
Earlier this year, another source close to the
discussions told Reuters that alcohol prices will be capped in the fan zones,
pointing out that at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019, a pint of beer cost
around five pounds ($6.55).
Although the document anticipates “strong
demand for international beverages”, it says the main party zone adjacent
to FIFA’s fan festival will be alcohol-free, offering up to 70,000 fans a
6-kilometre “family-friendly” street carnival.
Rules about alcohol sales in soccer stadiums vary
around the world. In England, alcohol is sold at stadium concourses but
fans cannot drink it in sight of the pitch, while in France none is permitted
on stadium grounds.
Share this content:
