Pork, porn, sex toys and LGBT flags could get fans arrested in Qatar
As the footballing world gears up for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, many are warning fans about things that could make them shut down as they attend matches in the strict Muslim country.
British authorities, for example, recently published a list of items that fans should leave at home when packing for Qatar, the New York Post reported.
People gather at the Corniche Waterfront ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on November 14, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)
“The importation of drugs, alcohol, pornography, pork products, books and religious materials into Qatar is illegal,” UK fans say on the UK government’s Foreign Travel Advice website.
Qatar noted that beer will be sold to fans in designated areas, but alcohol of any kind is banned outside those areas, World Cup officials said.
But even “rude gestures” can put the cops on their case.
“Swearing and making rude gestures are considered obscene acts, and offenders can be imprisoned and/or deported,” UK officials warn. “Take special care when dealing with police and other officials.”
Provocative clothing and open expressions of intimacy and gay pride are also prohibited. No kisses, and women “should cover their shoulders and avoid wearing short skirts”, the advice to British travelers continues.
Indeed, shorts and sleeveless tops are on the prohibited list for both men and women.
A group of female soccer fans gather near the Corniche in Doha, Qatar on November 12, 2022, a week before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. (Simon Holmes/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The site also adds: “Importing drugs, alcohol, pornography, pork products, books and religious materials into Qatar is illegal.”
This all amounts to a ‘mistake’ when it comes to former FIFA President Joseph Blatter. Even though he accepted the choice, he believes the World Cup should never have ended in a country with a Sharia-based legal system.
“It was a bad choice. And I was responsible for that as president at the time,” Blatter said recently, the newspaper reported.
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