The sale of alcohol at soccer’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar is going to be limited to those elites who purchase premium hospitality packages, organizers said Monday, confirming the sport’s strict adherance to government guidelines that make it a crime to be intoxicated in public.
The Muslim nation’s strict rules around alcohol consumption have dogged the Qatari organisers since the conservative Islamic emirate won the right to host the tournament back in 2010.
Speaking at Monday’s launch of packages for the tournament, Jaime Byrom, the chairman of MATCH Hospitality, the World Cup hospitality provider, hinted at wider sales – but not just yet: “It is our expectation that people will be able to (drink).
“We expect that, depending on the decisions taken by others — we will of course always comply with whatever regulations, whatever laws are decreed — certainly at this point in time we are planning to be in a position to serve alcohol in our hospitality programme.”
Sales and consumption of alcohol are tightly controlled in Qatar. Only a handful of bars and restaurants linked to luxury hotels are permitted to serve, and a single state-controlled off-licence bottle shop sells to holders of liquor permits.
Temporary visitors, including soccer fans, will not be eligible to purchase from the bottle store under the current rules.
Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Hassan al-Thawadi has previously said “alcohol is not part of our culture, but hospitality is”.
There will be no fan zone at this year’s Club World Cup featuring European champions Bayern Munich, which gets underway Thursday, due to strict coronavirus prevention measures.
AFP contributed to this story