England fans travelling to the 2022 Qatar World Cup will already be forking out massive sums to stay in the Middle East, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that they’ll also be paying a fortune to drink in the predominantly dry country.
£12 a pint, to be specific.
That’s right, as if paying north of five or six quid for a beer at most pubs in, say, Manchester wasn’t painful enough, anyone travelling to Qatar 2022 will have to settle for £12 pints according to reports.
As detailed in lengthy investigations carried out by the likes of the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), whose Embassy teams recently travelled to the Gulf nation ahead of the tournament, the drinking culture will not be like that of previous host nations.
ALCOHOL (PRICING)
£12-15 per beer with some happy hour reductions (5pm to 7pm-ish) where you’ll pay approx £7. Hotels told us multi-drink/meal offers may be introduced to lower costs. There’s ONE “off-licence” in Qatar but it’s strictly licenced and only available to residents.
As you can see, given that Qatar is fairly stringent when it comes to alcohol, the beer will not be flowing as freely as it would in most other football stadiums around the world — certainly not at £12 a pint anyway.
Not only are there strict rules regarding alcohol on the streets but it also understood that fans will also only be able to drink in authorised hotels and “two specific fan zones and external concourses” at the stadiums.
Moreover, anyone found breaching restrictions will face either being “sent home and/or arrested”; the same goes for the so-called ‘off-license’ facilities, which are strictly for residents only.
While happy hour prices might afford you some leeway (still around £7 a pint, mind), only FIFA-sponsor products like Budweiser will be available and you have strict windows between which you can drink. It will also cost you £75 just to get in the place.
FAN ZONES
Al Bidda Park fan zone has alcohol licence but only 6.30pm-1am, 40k capacity. Giant screens & family friendly. Opens early if game on.
Arcadia has DJs & open 10am-5am serving alcohol but ticketed. £75+ per day, 15k.
Safe to say that even for regular travelling international fans, with all the travel and accommodation costs people will be incurred on top of food and drink, this is going to be a particularly expensive World Cup.
Meanwhile, certain individuals supplying beer back home may have proclaimed to take a stance against the repressive regime over in Qatar, but they seemingly have no problem still showing the games.
As expected, the lengthy FSA thread also goes on to warn “do not even think about taking drugs” as the use or possession of even residual amounts will result in swift and lengthy sentences.
The report also touched on issues around accommodation with many rooms still under construction just four days out from the tournament and the standard of which are already being called into question. It’s giving us Fyre Festival vibes.
There are bound to be problems surrounding fan conduct and numerous protests regarding Qatar’s abuse of migrant workers, laws surrounding freedom of expression and treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the tournament.
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Danny Jones -
16th November 2022 
