Soccer followers on the virtually alcohol-free World Cup are able to pay excessive costs for a beer, a number of have tried to smuggle booze into stadiums however most easily settle for that ingesting is off-limits on the first match in a Muslim nation.
World soccer governing physique FIFA reversed course in mid-November, two days earlier than the primary match kicked off, and introduced that no alcoholic beer would bought at stadiums in Qatar the place it’s an offence to drink alcohol or be drunk in public.
Whereas beer is out there at designated World Cup fan zones and in some resorts, the trouble and the price of discovering alcohol — half a litre is bought for 50 Qatari riyals ($13.70) in fan zones — are merely an excessive amount of for a lot of supporters from nations the place beer is often a part of the match-day routine.
“For me, it’s custom having a beer, watching a sport, having fun with the sport with buddies,” mentioned Stefaan Pacquee, a Belgian physician who travelled to Qatar from his residence in Sydney, Australia, as he made his manner right into a stadium earlier than Belgium’s 2-0 defeat by Morocco on Sunday.
He mentioned he had his first beer-and-football expertise aged 16 together with his father.
“So I miss it. And I don’t assume the Budweiser Zero goes to compensate for that. However hey, we’re right here, the climate’s lovely, it’s an excellent ambiance,” Pacquee mentioned.
LARGELY DRY
Germany fan Christian Kopatsch mentioned alcohol was usually banned at matches in his residence nation that have been thought of to be at excessive threat of violence amongst supporters, so the largely dry World Cup was not an enormous adjustment for him.
He mentioned he seen a change within the ambiance the place, aside from minor skirmishes between a number of followers of Mexico and Argentina, there have been no experiences of violence, in distinction to hassle that broke out in Belgium after Morocco’s win and preventing between England and Wales followers in Tenerife, Spain.
“I feel it’s extra peaceable. You don’t have these very drunk folks in all places and persons are merely regular and completely happy,” Kopatsch mentioned earlier than Germany’s 1-1 draw with Spain on Sunday.
He has not even tried to discover a drink. “I can do with out alcohol for every week,” he mentioned.
Not everyone seems to be so accepting of the principles.
A video shared on Twitter confirmed safety workers seizing what gave the impression to be a pair of binoculars was a secret booze bottle by a Mexico fan making an attempt to get into his nation’s match in opposition to Argentina on Saturday, which Mexico misplaced 2-0.
One of many safety officers is seen unscrewing one of many eye cups and simulating having a swig to indicate a colleague what he has found whereas the fan in a inexperienced, white and crimson wig appears to gesture that the contents are in truth hand wash.
However most supporters appear to grasp that, for this match, outdated habits must be placed on maintain. Spain fan Raimundo Oujo, a businessman from La Coruna, mentioned the temper within the stadiums was rather less charged than typical on account of the booze ban.
“It’s a indisputable fact that we at all times have a good time with drinks earlier than or after so I feel it will probably make a distinction nevertheless it’s not a vital issue,” he mentioned.
“Let’s have a good time another manner, or you can too have a good time whenever you come again residence after which you possibly can have an enormous social gathering.”