England fans can start planning their World Cup trip to Qatar – but don’t get caught drinking beers in the street
ENGLAND fans can start plotting their trip to the Middle East as they dream of witnessing World Cup glory.
But while Qatar is promising a warm welcome, there will be guidelines and demands on fans travelling there next year.
So you will be able to get a drink at reasonable prices in the fan zones, but when you are in any of the public squares do NOT crack open a beer, take off your top or unfurl the Saint George’s Cross flag.
Be careful about taking photos, too, because there is an expectation of privacy in the Gulf.
And do not be surprised if a policeman gets on your case if you go in for a kiss with someone in the street. Stay away from public displays of affection.
Qatar 2022 spokesperson Fatma Al Nuaimi said: “The World Cup will be an opportunity for people to explore a new culture, which is an old culture — our culture, our city, our ways and traditions.
“It will be the biggest event the planet has seen since the pandemic and we want to show Arab hospitality and change perceptions of people from across the world.
“Hospitality is part of our culture, even if alcohol is not. There will be designated areas where drink will be served, especially the fan zones.
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“So it will be in the places where the fans will gather, but not openly on the streets.”
It means beer and wine at around £5 a pop in fan zones and you can expect to pay double that in hotels.
But the determination not to build ‘white elephant’ hotels that will never be needed again means they need to find other solutions.
Al Nuaimi explained: “We will have cruise ships, floating hotels for 4,000 fans in each one, plus Airbnb style apartments, affordable options.”
The majority of travelling fans will be based along the five-mile stretch of the ‘Corniche’, a pedestrianised area beside the Gulf in the heart of Doha.
It runs from the docks where the cruise ships are berthed through the main landmarks of the capital.
PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS IS A BIG NO-NO
But public drunkenness is a big no-no, as are open displays of homosexuality in what is an extremely conservative country.
What this means in practice is unclear.
Police will be instructed to adopt a low-key approach — likely to apply to gay fans holding hands — but some will be more severe in their interpretation of the law.
And those that like a flutter beware, betting is also illegal.
While this is not Saudi Arabia, Qatar is not a liberal paradise.
Some locals may voice their feelings publicly and World Cup chiefs acknowledge they are walking a tightrope.
But Al Nuaimi said: “Everyone will be welcome and safe.
“We obviously have our own culture and traditions and we hope any fan coming here will respect them.”
BEWARE DOHA JAIL
Qataris will not appreciate baying groups chorusing about ‘England ’til I die’ even if ‘Southgate, you’re the one’ will be acceptable in the right places.
In simple terms, you do not want to see the inside of a Doha jail cell.
Al Nuaimi added: “We know that people from other countries, from Europe, Africa and South America, behave in a different way from the Arabic nations.
“What we are asking all fans is that they show us and our culture due respect.
“Here you do not just take a photo of somebody on the street.
“Many of them will simply not want their photo taken.
“Everybody, please, should show some cultural awareness, just as they would if they were travelling to Japan or anywhere else.
“The health and safety of the fans who come here is our No 1 priority but if somebody is a threat to the fans or behaves in a destructive way to impact people’s safety we have to make sure we stop that.”
So what can fans expect — apart from a truly ‘compact’ tournament, allowing them to spend their stay in one base, rather than having to pack up and move every few days?
SunSport toured the Souq, a maze of narrow passageways filled with the smells of exotic spices and perfumes.
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The low-rise buildings surrounding it could come straight from Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine, even if they are a recently-rebuilt copy of the original.
We also popped into the Falcon Souq, a shop dedicated to the hunting birds that can go for up to £130,000 each, and the four-storey Falcon Hospital next door.
It is arguably better equipped than some flagship NHS facilities but purely for the study and recovery of the winged patients.
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