Football Qatar World Cup will have areas for drunk fans to sober up, chief saysFootball Qatar World Cup will have areas for drunk fans to sober up, chief says
Sports
Football Qatar World Cup will have areas for drunk fans to sober up, chief says.
DUBAI (Reuters) - The football World Cup being held in Qatar from next month will have areas for drunk fans to sober up, its chief executive said in a television interview.
The Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup is the first to be held in a Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, presenting unique challenges for organisers of an event sponsored by a major beer brand and often associated with beer-drinking fans.
Qatar will let ticketed fans buy alcoholic beer at matches starting three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match, Reuters reported in September, citing a source with knowledge of plans for the tournament.
Qatar 2022 chief executive Nasser Al Khater told Sky News in an interview published on Thursday that anyone who overdoes it would be looked after.
"I know that there are plans in place for people to sober up if ... they’ve been drinking excessively," Al Khater said, adding that it was to make sure they were safe and not harmful to others or themselves and said it was "a good idea".
