Qatar has relaxed some of its laws regarding alcohol and clothing for the FIFA Club World Cup but issues certainly remain regarding its hosting of future tournaments, Gareth Roberts told Off The Ball.
The author at the Anfield Wrap is currently in Doha, Qatar for the FIFA Club World Cup and was speaking to Off The Ball as part of the 15-hour marathon 'Decade in a Day' about his experiences so far.
The Liverpudlian explained that the staff at the Anfield Wrap thought long and hard about attending the tournament over the human rights abuses reported about migrant workers.
“Ultimately we felt that Liverpool are out here and Liverpool have made their feelings as a club known as well - which I thought was a good thing. Some clubs would maybe just not get involved in it.
“Liverpool have gotten involved. Liverpool have said it’s not acceptable and they want investigations and they put their weight behind those kinds of things. I would echo that really as well.
“For supporters coming over here, such as LGBT supporters that may have been concerned, Liverpool did their homework.
“They made sure that they came out here and made sure that their safety would be guaranteed and that there wouldn’t be a problem for those supporters.
“Some of those supporters are out here and they’re doing just fine and long may that be the case,” Roberts said.
Relaxing of laws regarding clothing and alcohol
Qatar is a deeply conservative country that holds very different views to most western countries.
While officials have relaxed some of the country’s laws regarding football fans, Roberts felt that there was still work left to be done.
“This country wants the World Cup. It wants sporting events. It wants western people living and working here. So ultimately, it’s going to have to shift on some of its cultural positions. Hopefully, that will be the case.
“There is some good work being done around the workers but maybe not enough. You’re still reading some pretty grim stuff about people dying and it being covered up.
“They’re not giving money to the families. No one with a heart can say that’s a good thing. So ultimately it was a dilemma, but here at the Anfield Wrap we follow Liverpool everywhere and we felt that we had to follow them here too.
“In the fan park you can drink and it was absolutely fine. In the hotels too, you can drink and it’s absolutely fine. It’s not the cheapest but in the fan parks, they have lowered the prices to around £5 a pint.
“The key thing is appearing not to be intoxicated on the street. You can be arrested for that. But so far it appears that they are being lenient around certain things.
“There was talk that you wouldn’t be able to walk around in shorts and stuff like that. Obviously they’re quite strict around what females are wearing too. But the shorts thing has been let go,” Roberts said.
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