Qatar Probably Won’t Serve Alcohol At 2022 World Cup, Is Definitely Going To Be The Worst Host Ever

SteveHolt11 years ago

America is slowly falling in love with soccer, so it stings a little that the corrupt assholes at FIFA opted to put the 2022 World Cup in the scorching desert of Qatar rather than the United States, a country where grass grows naturally.

The plan to have Qatar host backfired almost instantly, and has become a PR nightmare for FIFA. Allegations of corruption sprouted immediately, with evidence that Qatari officials paid millions of dollars to secure its bid. Conditions for soccer and human life in Qatar are deplorable. Up to 4,000 people are predicted to die building the soccer stadiums in the God-forsaken country–where temperatures reach 114 degrees during the afternoon hours of summer.

Last week, news broke that thousands of North Korean slave laborers are working on construction sites in Qatar. From the Independent:

A spokesperson from Qatar’s ministry of labour and social affairs said it takes all issues around worker payment extremely seriously, stating that there are 2,800 North Korean guest workers registered in the emirate, and
it has had “no recorded complaints” about their pay or treatment.

On top of all of this nonsense, Qatar adheres to “sharia law.” If for some dreadful reason you choose to attend the 2022 World Cup, your chances of enjoying a beer at the event are currently slated at “slim to none.”

Qatari Sports Minister (whatever that is) Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali recently spoke to the Associated Press to alleviate some concerns surrounding the 2022 World Cup. His answers did no such thing.

Asked whether the country will permit alcohol sales during the tournament, something FIFA forced Brazil to do this summer, Al Ali said a whole lot of nothing:

From the Associated Press:

Al Ali said “creative” solutions can be found to allow alcohol sales to visiting World Cup fans. For now, alcohol is only sold in selected Doha hotels and visitors must show their passports to enter these bars. Residents with a license to shop there can also buy alcohol in a government-run store. But World Cup organizer FIFA has a sponsorship deal with a brewer and it leaned on Brazil, the last tournament host, to allow beer sales in its 2014 World Cup stadiums. Asked specifically about alcohol in 2022 stadiums, the minister offered no guarantee.

He said Qatar doesn’t want to create “this impression, illusion that we don’t care about our tradition and our ethical values … We are studying all these issues. We can adapt, we can be creative to have people coming and enjoying the games without losing the essence of our culture and respecting the preference of the people coming here. I think there is a lot we can do.”

Qatar isn’t exactly planning on welcoming gay people to its country with open arms, either.

Asked how gay people will be welcomed in 2022, al-Ali replied: “It’s exactly like the alcohol question.”

How anyone thought this country would play a better host to the World Cup than New York, D.C., Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Seattle, Portland or Los Angeles is beyond me. Hopefully, they’ll move it. Otherwise, the 2022 World Cup is going to blow. Hard..

[via Associated Press]

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