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In a week, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup. Images are circulating on social networks where supporters show support for their team, and this when almost none of them have yet arrived on site. So what are the rules that have been put in place by Doha?
In a few days, a fan zone will be the nerve center of the World Cup in Qatar. The fan zone is praised by the Fifa in its promotional videos where we can watch matches, listen to concerts but also drink alcohol at certain times and upon presentation of an identity document. “Obviously, alcohol is regulated here in Qatar (…). However, there will be no alcohol inside the stadiums.“, explains Berthold Trenkel, director of operations of “Qatar Tourism”.
Officially, there will be no alcohol. But out of sight, in a bar of a hotel of Dohaalcohol flows freely. A young British living in Qatar says: “I feel like home. You can have drinks, see your friends, it’s just normal“. In anticipation of the arrival of the supporters, the owner of the bar made reservations. “We have planned stocks of alcohol eight to ten times larger than those we usually have“, reveals Anil Kumar Kempinski. Qatar’s constitution is inspired by Sharia, Islamic law, which prohibits homosexuality, for example. Qatar 2022 accommodation manager Omar Al Jaber says all supporters are welcome. But groups of openly LGBT supporters preferred to cancel their ticket having had no serious guarantee that their arrival would not pose a problem.