Who can forget the days when booze bans were a daily reality, thanks to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions?
It's the not-so distant past that had many people so desperate for a dop they were willing to buy it from bootleggers.
Despite the outrage from some quarters about Qatar's decision to ban the consumption of alcohol in stadia and on the streets during the Fifa World Cup, the argument being made by proponents for upholding the state's liquor laws is: if you could survive weeks without booze during lockdown, then what's a few hours?
Alcohol is not illegal in Qatar, a Muslim country that is known to be very conservative and tightly regulates alcohol sales as well as consumption.
However, Qatar's Constitution makes it illegal to be seen drunk in public, and those who violate this law could face harsh legal consequences.
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Having a sip of a drink while enjoying the beautiful game is a feeling goes hand in hand for many soccer fans, but Qatar's turnaround on allowing the sale and consumption of booze in stadia left many dismayed.
Initially, alcohol was going to be sold inside the stadiums before and after the games. However, Qatar is a strict Muslim country and raised its concerns over their culture.
“Fans can still drink beer at the fan festival in Doha, but its only served after 6.30pm and that venue has been plagued with overcrowding issues in the opening days of the World Cup,” according to news.com.au
And that’s not the only rule in the Qatar World Cup code of conduct that fans must abide by. Vuvuzelas which do not comply to the restriction of being smaller than 120cm are also banned and shirts are to be kept on, reports Soccer Laduma.
“Fifa has prepared a stadium code of conduct that applies to all 64 matches in the Gulf state,” according to Sky News.
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The 2022 World Cup host country had an agreement with an alcohol brand, Budweiser, before its turnaround.
"The world's second best-selling beer brand in 2021 had a 75-million-euro contract with Qatar, but in the end its product will not be able to be used. It already had sales points scattered all over Doha," Marca explains.
Budweiser resorted to giving the winning country the beers it couldn't sell in Qatar stadiums, The Guardian reports. However, the company's non-alcoholic beverages are being sold at the stadiums.
This decision sparked criticism of all kinds on social media, while others support the booze ban.
“If you can't drink beer for three hours, I think you can survive. There are many countries that ban alcohol in stadiums, like France, but since Qatar is a Muslim country, that's a problem.”
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) November 19, 2022
— FIFA President Gianni Infantino pic.twitter.com/GIWawUvNTa
The issue is they forced Brazil to change that law in 2014. They openly pressured them into changing their laws so Budweiser wouldn’t lose their precious money. But Qatar, a richer country, gets to do what it wants.
— Danno (@Danno04284691) November 19, 2022
In a previous interview with Drum when we asked whether South Africans have a problem with alcohol, Thembekile Msane from the South African National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, said, "There people who are able to drink responsibly, but others drink excessively, and it is not only people of a certain social status.
"There are excessive drinkers in different classes."
"The are different stages of alcohol use disorder, namely mild, moderate and severe.
"We need to look at the things that are driving people to be heavy drinkers. In some cases, there are issues such as environmental contributors, which could include poverty, unemployment and gender-based violence. Other factors can include grief."
Qatar cannot bend thier laws because of world cup.They said it in clear terms, if you can't abide by thier rules then you have no business in thier country. If you violate their laws you go to jail irrespective of your status. A society without laws is a useless society.
— lama shama (@LaTam146) November 19, 2022
So why were they dishonest and say they would sell alcohol at the stadiums in the first place? Why are they still selling it in suites?
— Lola (@Violus82) November 21, 2022
Alcohol is not only illegal in Qatar. Here are other states in the world where the sale and consumption of booze is banned:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Brunei
- Some parts of India
- Iran
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Pakistan
- Emirate of Sharjah in United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
- Sudan
- Somalia
- Kuwait
- Yemen
