I truly feel for all of the World Cup fans in Qatar.
The Wall Street Journal came out with a piece Dec. 8 that revealed the craziness that FIFA World Cup fans are going through in an attempt to get alcohol.
If you don’t remember, Qatar allows booze in the country, however, the penalty is up to six months in prison if you get caught drunk in public, according to the WSJ. In the entire country, they only have two liquor stores and both of them are controlled by the Qatari government, and with bars, they’re exclusive to international hotels.
Well, during the build up of the World Cup, Qatar and FIFA struck a deal where alcohol could be sold, but it couldn’t be sold inside the actual stadium. The deal was set to last a total of two months, until the Qatari royal family nixed the plan and banned alcohol from being around the stadium altogether just two days before the tournament started.
Looking to get tipsy at the Qatar World Cup can be a game in itself. Fans are badgering locals and trekking miles to find a beer. https://t.co/bFM2j0ZxKa
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) December 9, 2022
Well, this has caused fans to go to the furthest limits that they can in order to get a simple beer.
Here are three stories from the WSJ article, but there are a ton of others that are featured.
Ali Mirza, who is a university professor from Iran, says that when he asked around about how to purchase alcohol to take back to his rental, he reportedly received dirty looks. Eventually, he found some drinks at a beach club after apparently paying a $41 entry fee, WSJ reported.
Alex Sullivan and his father, who are fans of England, said their search for beer led them to a rich Qatari who didn’t have alcohol, but instead reportedly invited them back to his home where they played video games and experienced his luxurious lifestyle, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Argentina Eliminates The Netherlands To Advance In World Cup, Teams Nearly Get Into All-Out Brawl)
For a group of Croatian fans, they were so desperate to get their hands on some booze that they were offered beer from a taxi driver after obtaining his phone number. The driver was allegedly going to resell the beer from his personal stash, which is a crime in Qatar, WSJ reported.
It’s actually a pretty solid read from The Wall Street Journal, I highly suggest you check it out.
And my condolences to these people, it sounds absolutely rough over there.
This is just one reason why I’m waiting until 2026 when the World Cup comes to good ‘ol America.
See you then, with booze in hand.