Alcohol and beer are usually prominent at soccer matches across the world, especially the World Cup. And while Qatar initially seemed to have a plan in place for alcohol sales and consumption at the 2022 World Cup, it appears the country is making some drastic last-minute changes just days before the start of the iconic soccer tournament.
Alcohol is not completely banned in Qatar, but it is strictly regulated. And while alcohol was expected to be served at designated locations outside of stadiums – but not inside the actual playing venues – it seems that even this is becoming more limited at the last minute.
According to a report from Tariq Panja of the New York Times, the Qatari royal family has demanded that tents serving beer and alcohol outside of stadiums be moved to less visible locations.
Qatar had finally agreed a plan for beer sales a couple months ago, but now senior royals in Qatar are uneasy about booze being so visible around stadiums. So operation hide the beer is now underway: https://t.co/nYKQxBxywo
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) November 14, 2022
“Qatar had finally agreed a plan for beer sales a couple months ago, but now senior royals in Qatar are uneasy about booze being so visible around stadiums. So operation hide the beer is now underway,” Panja said in a Tweet.
In addition to cultural clashes with the event in the conservative Muslim nation, it’s clear that the country was not prepared to host an event of this size. Even former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who was president when Qatar was awarded the bid, admits that giving Qatar the World Cup bid was a mistake.
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