World Cup Will be Sending Drunk Fans to ‘Special Zones to Sober up’

An aerial view of Lusail Stadium, which will host the final game of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be sending drunk fans to “special zones to sober up,” according to Sky News.

This is the first time the World Cup is hosted in a middle eastern country. These sober zones will serve as an alternative to arrests or jail time in the Muslim territory, where public drinking is usually restricted.

“There are plans in place for people to sober up if they’ve been drinking excessively,” said Qatar World Cup Chief Nasser Al Khater in the report. “It’s a place to make sure that they keep themselves safe, they’re not harmful to anybody else.”

The World Cup runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18 and according to Al Khater, 95% of tickets have now been sold. Fans will be attending matches in eight newly built stadiums around Doha.

Fans who find themselves in a “sobering tent” will be released after they “have recovered from the effects of the booze” and will be issued a warning, according to a report. The sober zones will also be a place for fans who have been involved in minor incidents concerning safety.

During the World Cup, the sale of alcohol in Qatar will be moved from hotel bars to outside stadiums and fan zones.

In other World Cup booze news, a limited-release gin has been launched in honor of Wales’ first time participating in the World Cup Finals since 1958. The The Football Association of Wales and Hensol Castle Distillery partnered to produce the #TogetherStronger Welsh Dry Gin.

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