Ecuador fan Pablo Zambrano of Quito, Ecuador, cheers in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. Fans poured into Qatar on Friday ahead of the Middle East's first World Cup as Doha ordered beers not to be poured out at stadiums during the tournament — a last-minute surprise largely welcomed by the country's conservative Muslims and shrugged off by giddy fans. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)© Provided by Associated Press – Sports
This small, energy-rich country, home to some 3 million people and roughly the size of Jamaica, expects another 1.2 million fans to fly in for the tournament that begins on Sunday.
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After Friday prayers, the talk of Doha became the sudden ruling by the government to halt all beer sales at stadiums.
Many welcomed the decision in this conservative emirate, which follows the same austere Wahhabi Islam of neighboring Saudi Arabia — despite allowing beers, wine and liquor to be sold at discrete hotel bars in the country. Already, the country's some 300,000 citizens have criticized the Western excesses of some celebrations and vehemently dismissed criticism of its views on LGBTQ rights.
“The whole reason why I came to this country is so that I can enjoy and have the facilities and the advantage of living in a modern economy, but with Islamic heritage,” said Mohammad Ali, a 50-year-old doctor from Sheffield, England, who lives in Qatar. “I wouldn’t want to see that lifestyle compromised.”
“I wouldn’t want with my kids and my family enjoying my time out and being confronted by a drunken — I’m not gonna say a hooligan — but drunken and disorderly fans,” he added.