To think that alcohol ban in Qatar shouldn’t be a shock

[Laurendelaney1987]

The Newspapers are reporting that alcohol will not be served in stadiums during the World Cup.

I don’t understand the uproar: it’s a Muslim country: if you go there you shouldn’t expect to be drinking. Visitors have a choice of whether to visit or not, and Qatar are quite right to not want lots of drunks causing mayhem.

There are many many issues with hosting the World Cup in Qatar: but I don’t think this is a big one

Some of the replies are bordering on intolerant and racist.

@Freddieonahill you realise that the U.K. does not solely equate to England right? Not everyone here is English and that doesn’t negate the point there is no need for alcohol during football and alcohol actively increases violence on the streets and at home. Ever been stuck on in a train carriage with young kids and brawling drunk football fans? Not an experience anyone should ever have to go through.

When it comes to things like being homosexual and womens rights then yes.

some values should be unarguable if you want to host such an event.

They signed contracts about this years ago … is not keeping their word part of their culture
too?

I completely agree, as you say there are a lot of reasons the world cup being held in Qatar is controversial - this isn't one of them, Seeing how some football fans drink to excess and cause havoc at these tournaments, its probably about the only positive tbh.

Oh it is entirely racist to disagree with hundreds if not thousands of slaves dying to build stadiums. Or to disagree with a country buying a World Cup, and to disagree with women being dragged off planes for vaginal examinations or being locked up for being raped. And to accuse people of contractual breaches (I mean Budweiser did not pay millions to NOT be allowed to sell beer) and NOT be seen.

This isn’t about people drinking in stadiums. It’s about the utter disregard the Qataris have for YOU. Because they think exactly the same about you as they do all men, women, children, companies that are not Qataris. You just have the safety of a border.

I don’t think you understand anything at all.

Exactly! its awful, booze should have been banned in football stadiums a long time ago

Is not keeping their word part of their culture too?

It's a big subject, but that can depend on who they've given it to
In practice, within arab culture, there can be a difference between expectations among their own and how they consider themselves obliged to behave towards "outsiders"

The arabic escapes me, but there's even a saying about it along the lines of "My brother and I against my cousin; my cousin and I against strangers"

Don't conflate the two groups.
As of yet, we do not have a universal set of rights that apply across the globe to all people.

I completely agree with your points on alcohol misuse. I don't even drink myself 🤣
I think what gets my goat really is what I feel is a bit of a double standard. Plus why sign the contract if they had no intention of fulfilling it? They knew their laws so they should have been very upfront from the start on what they would not tolerate. Or who knows - perhaps they were and Fifa or someone isn't telling the whole truth 🤔

Either way questions should be asked and the bidding process should be a lot more stringent next time with full disclosure

@ToGanymedeAndTitan
Qatar is NOT some poor downtrodden country though. It’s one of the richest countries in the world. The idea that a load of footballers fans are rich foreigners is laughable.

Not only that but I would blame Austria quite more🙈

Surely anyone with concerns about perceived human rights violations should not have booked to go to Qatar start with? I didn't know the history of the country though tbh, would read up if I was thinking about going.
I do believe that you can visit a country without agreeing with their policies and politics. And that sport should be a political. Ie not influenced.
Already live in a country where I don't believe in many decisions but can at least try to influence govt policies. Even though in reality I can't!
I think banning alcohol is a wise move. Plus would we allow crack or heroine at matches here!? Or dope, legal in some places. Selective interpretation of law but far cheaper than arresting people. No probs re tourists drinking in Dubai for example.

If Qatar had been up front about no alcohol in the grounds then there wouldn't be an issue. However, they've waited until the 11th hour to pull this stunt which feels like a deflection from their other issues to be honest.

People are just upset because Qatar have been saying for 10 years that alcohol would be available, they then changed their minds last minute once everyone had bought their tickets and paid for their flights and hotel rooms!

And would those arrested when boozed up get preferential treatment?

We could go all the way back to the Vikings they started it. What about those pesky Normans?

Ha, ha, ha! I really hope this hits FIFA and all the sponsors where it hurts.

The alcohol issue is the least of the issues with holding the World Cup in Qatar but it's very telling that this is what gets FIFA, sponsors and some of the fans angry, and not all the stuff about slavery and human rights abuses.

I think I reached peak Gary Lineker when he said it would make a stand if two gay Premiership footballers he knew came out during the tournament. Why doesn't he make a stand by refusing to work on it?

Yeah mostly because of thick twats spouting crap about being “wokey cokey”….

TBH i think alcohol should be permanently banned at football games in all counties. There’s no need for it, it causes more violence and grief than it adds to the experience.

how often do you go to football matches?

Yep, saw the wokey cokey comment upthread and just did a massive eye roll at it 😁

Mostly because the groups listed by those quoting the alphabet (Woke) are not connected to one another anyway. Conflating the groups attempts to give the message more weight. In actual fact, it just pisses people off.
Qatar is a nation-state and as such can bid for the world cup and behave by its own regional national morals and values.

I completely agree, as you say there are a lot of reasons the world cup being held in Qatar is controversial - this isn't one of them, Seeing how some football fans drink to excess and cause havoc at these tournaments, its probably about the only positive tbh.

i thought that at least a cursory perusal of the thread would show even the most casual reader that it's not about sodding beer. It is about the contract.

And I really really hope this is what brings FIFA down. Like Al Capone and his taxes.

What are you implying? We only allow world tournaments in countries with the same beliefs and values

Yes absolutely we should. In the same way as international companies only buy goods from suppliers that don’t use child labour or slavery. My husband is Iranian and he’d be the first person to be appalled if a world event were held there in its present fundamentalist nut job condition.

Anyone who argues otherwise probably has a very questionable belief system themselves.

Qatar was always a totally unsuitable choice. It’s a shithole (imo), even without the homophobic and misogynist lunatics taking over the asylum.

I assumed that tour operators were expecting this, which is why there are fleets of cruise ships currently docked in the Port of Doha? Guests are free to do what they like on those, I believe.