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

Surely it is. To the culture that doesn't outlaw homosexuality or blame women for rape. To the culture that does those thing...they may feel differently.

Monster I agree but I wouldn't think it's a good Idea for any persecuted people to go there, it's like going to Gilead.

Samyegar

The problem with surpressed people's in violent cultures is that they cant freely say how they feel.

You sound like my pedant mate that has a bee in her bonnet about the misuse of the word iconic and like her you are right. 😁

Erstwhile
It's often confused with worthwhile. But erstwhile means "previous" or "one-time." My erstwhile assistant does not mean "my valuable assistant." It means "my former assistant" and nothing more.

It's getting even more comical, a lot of Dutch fans are not going to be happy now

Fans paid to attend World Cup by Qatar have daily allowance cancelled

^It has recruited supporters from around the globe, offering travel and accommodation and a place at the World Cup opening ceremony in return for enthusiasm and positive social media content. But the Guardian can reveal that a per diem payment for food and drink, upon which some supporters were depending, was cancelled just as fans were packing to travel to the Gulf.
...authorities had blamed the decision on the bad press which followed the revelation that fans were being paid.^

www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/18/fans-paid-to-attend-world-cup-by-qatar-have-daily-allowance-cancelled

Oh for sure. However, freedom and the lack there of are also cultural. And different societies cultures define freedom differently.

Aside from the oil, one of the big points of contention and one of the reasons the west is despised by many of the Arab nations is the wests tendency to meddle in the culture. To reform it in the wests image. The very western response to that is "They just don't know any better." "If they were just more like us..."

YANBU I agree. I really don’t get the obsession of drinking alcohol at sports events where you are watching super-fit athletes, I also don’t understand why people are going? Stay at home where you can watch and drink to your hearts content without any restrictions. You cannot blame the Qatari’s, you only need to watch the scenes after the Euro 2020 Final to realise alcohol and football do not mix. They have every right to say they are not going to change their religion for 28 days, FIFA knew this. Blame FIFA not Qatar.

It's hard to know what people define as anything when they are not free to speak out and also have not tasted freedom.

It's also hard when they have been brain washed through many layer's and in addition have a huge stick of fear beating down on them.

It's also hard when they have been brain washed through many layer's and in addition have a huge stick of fear beating down on them

I lived there. It's really not like that for the average Qatari, also most of them travel a lot. Yes it's a very conservative society but it doesn't feel like some sort of police state or anything.

Oh for sure. However, freedom and the lack there of are also cultural. And different societies cultures define freedom differently.

You are going through contortions to maintain the west is bad/ideological colonisim. If we follow your logic we should just shrug at the Ugyhur genocide in China...

@BloodyHellKen
Qatar is in contravention of Articles 1 (freedom and equality), 2 (equality & discrimination), 4 (slavery), 19 (freedom of speech), and 23 (fair pay) of the UN declaration of human rights.

That's not a cultural difference.

Qatar has been a member of the UN since 1971.

No one forces signature of this declaration - they could choose to exist outside the UN. They don't. They are breaking the terms of membership.

Just because they have enough mates who would vote not to condemn or exclude them doesn't make their actions and CHOICES any more acceptable.

But I think @samyeagar you are using superiority as meaning “I think I am better than you” whereas it can also mean “is better”. I’m go back to the point about some things being fundamental.

I lived there. It's really not like that for the average Qatari, also most of them travel a lot. Yes it's a very conservative society but it doesn't feel like some sort of police state or anything.

It is much like China, if the average Qatari is naturalised they have an easy life, if you are not then your land and property can be seized with no recourse, and if you are not natuarlised then you better not publically critise the ruling family unless you want to spend 5 years in jail because you will not be able to afford the fine....

It is a police state out of the suburbs and ex-pat areas.

If they're so anti-alcohol then why accept Budweiser as a sponsor. I don't know how it works in practice and what the sponsors actually do but I'm sure Qatar have benefited in some way from the sponsorship.

Surely a country which doesn't allow alcohol should never have allowed this sponsorship in the first place. If that is the case then they are hypocrites as well as misogynistic and homophobic.

I suspect that FIFA and many of the sponsors like Budweiser were taking the gamble that they would somehow be seen at the forefront of some great awakening, some sort of cultural and social shift in the country. They were going to sweep in with their football and beer and leave as David Hasselhoff singing and dancing on the wall while cashing in on the clicks and adoration. Preemptive virtual signaling of sorts. And it is coming back to bite them in the ass.

Sorry! 😁

Let's be honest before you say respect their customs, many saudis, and people in the Emirates don't respect their own customs.

These places like Dubai and to an extent Qatar are full of rich Arab men from the above places drinking booze in hotels, hiring prostitutes to do all sorts of vile things that are definitely against there religion.

They even have leaders in Dubai who are into kidnapping Thier own family's.

However I'm also interested in fan behaviour if no alcohol is involved. However I'm wondering if they're going to get tanked up before they get to the stadium or sneak alcohol in
You'd have to be bloody stupid to get tanked up in Qatar.
Can just imagine dickheads running to the Daily .Mail with their best sad faces as they got pissed and unruly and then shocked when it's not tolerated.

We know how it ends. There have been monarchy’s, dynasty’s, bans of freedom/ alcohol/ sex/ women since the dawn of society.

Humans like a nice life, whatever country or doctrine.

You'd have to be bloody stupid to get tanked up in Qatar.

You severly underestimate the mexicans, there are already videos online of stashes of tequila, there are quite a few Aussie,German, Swede videos in response, this isn't a 'drunk brit' issue.

Can just imagine dickheads running to the Daily .Mail with their best sad faces as they got pissed and unruly and then shocked when it's not tolerated.

As above, so far it is Mexicans, Swedes, Germans, Italians, Brazillians and Aussies who have taken to troll online about how much they are taking. But to add a bit more context into your assertion of Daily Mail (bearing in mind even the most tattood millwall supporter will read the Guardian for football coverage)

When Brazil hosted and had a law that banned beer sales at stadiums to curb violence, FIFA made them create an exemption if they wanted to secure the bid.

You severly underestimate the mexicans, there are already videos online of stashes of tequila, there are quite a few Aussie,German, Swede videos in response, this isn't a 'drunk brit' issue.
Oh am very well aware it isn't likely to just be Brits, there'll be bloody idiots in loads of different countries 😁

It's only an issue if you are an alcoholic. A lot of people should be asking themselves serious questions about their dependency on alcohol.

Just heard it was going to be Budweiser anyway so frankly no loss

Ffs!

There are so many dim wits on here not understanding the actual point. It's not about the alcohol. Fucking imbeciles.