Is having a drink at games so important?

[Daniele Giovanni]

fans are in uproar about the booze ban in Qatar, so what? Can't they go without a drink for a few hours? We saw the scenes at Wembley with drunken fans in the Euros, I like a drink now and again but no big deal for me if its banned, responsible fans know their limit, but a lot don't, so it's good news from Qatar

Edited November 18, 2022 by Daniele Giovanni

[trev]

Tbh it depends.

 

Going to a Wednesday game I'm not fussed as its a common, normal thing.

 

But if it was a cup final or something and I was treating it more like a special occasion....I'd like to relax with my mates and have a few sociable sherberts. Plus it helps calm the nerves

 

But as far as Qatar is concerned....if your annoyed about not being able to drink you shouldn't have bought tickets. This has not come as a surprise. Its not the country for going on a ******** up.

[Emerson Thome]

1 minute ago, Daniele Giovanni said:

fans are in uproar about the booze ban in Qatar, so what? Can't they go without a drink for a few hours? We saw the scenes at Wembley with drunken fans in the Euros, I like a drink now and again but no big deal for me if its banned, responsible fans know their limit, but a lot don't, so it's good news from Qatar

 

It is more the fact that Qatar lied about the conditions for hosting the world cup and then backtracked at the last possible moment. They also lied about being able to host in the northern hemisphere summer and later backtracked. If I were FIFA I would be floating the idea of moving the knock-out stages to another country and see how they like that.

 

As for the fans at the Euros - I don't think that was much to do with booze. There were a) a bunch of organised jibbers determined to get in the ground without tickets, b) a load of coked up fans, and c) pïss-poor policing.

[Daniele Giovanni]

4 minutes ago, Emerson Thome said:

 

It is more the fact that Qatar lied about the conditions for hosting the world cup and then backtracked at the last possible moment. They also lied about being able to host in the northern hemisphere summer and later backtracked. If I were FIFA I would be floating the idea of moving the knock-out stages to another country and see how they like that.

 

As for the fans at the Euros - I don't think that was much to do with booze. There were a) a bunch of organised jibbers determined to get in the ground without tickets, b) a load of coked up fans, and c) pïss-poor policing.

I was referring to scenes after the match where Italians were picked on and assaulted, bad losers fuelled by drinking too much 

[Owl Be Back]

... More to do with the reversal at the 11th hour. What else are they going to do?

 

Not that I'm bothered, you get what you deserve going to such a country. I'm not watching the games - easy decision when L1 football is still being played.

[Emerson Thome]

2 minutes ago, Daniele Giovanni said:

I was referring to scenes after the match where Italians were picked on and assaulted, bad losers fuelled by drinking too much 

 

Fair enough, that's a good point.

[SDS Owl]

Not for me but it’s a massive deal for many. 
 

Loads of my mates can’t get away from their other half’s and kids like they once could so use the match as an excuse to grab a few pints with their mates. They love the away games, the further the better because that gives them a full day out. I know for a fact that if you took away the beer a lot of them would stop going. 

 

One of the common reasons people state for not liking new grounds is that many are out of town with no pubs around. 

[The Dukeries Owl]

NO

[Emerson Thome]

I find it completely in keeping as well that the 'ordinary' fans aren't allowed to drink, but if you're one of the millionaires in the corporate boxes they have a completely different set of rules, and champagne on tap.

[SiJ]

I can go to a game without drinking (will be tomorrow), but it is nice to have the option. 

 

Plus, a World Cup is meant to be a festival of football isn't it. People are paying an awful lot of money to go watch this thing and it appears that only the super wealthy will be able to afford/drink alcohol (funny that). 

 

No booze in or in the vicinity of the ground, but you can que up for hours in a glorified Doha car park to buy 4 beers which will cost £14.00 each. 

 

Appreciate the argument about respecting another nation's rules/culture and, considering some of the other crap that Qatar gets up to, them stopping people from having a beer near the ground doesn't seem quite so important. 

 

Apparently, if you do get a bit too drunk, you will be taken to a sobering zone or something, which sounds like a prison for drunk people. What could possibly go wrong? 

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

It's a must if you're a wednesdayite 

[Barnsleyowl1996]

Find it baffling how people don’t see why it’s annoyed fans . If you are going thinking you can enjoy a drink in the ground and are told you can’t last minute it’s clearly annoying . 

[FreshOwl]

Depends who I’m with

 

The old man - no 

Mates - yes 

[SiJ]

It's going to be the Forced Fun World Cup. 

 

Enjoy the football and shut the f*ck up. 

[andytrig]

36 minutes ago, Daniele Giovanni said:

fans are in uproar about the booze ban in Qatar, so what? Can't they go without a drink for a few hours? We saw the scenes at Wembley with drunken fans in the Euros, I like a drink now and again but no big deal for me if its banned, responsible fans know their limit, but a lot don't, so it's good news from Qatar

Evening Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Welcome to owlstalk.

[Ever the pessimist]

18 minutes ago, Daniele Giovanni said:

I was referring to scenes after the match where Italians were picked on and assaulted, bad losers fuelled by drinking too much 

If that happened then it’s awful and those responsible need the full extent of the law against them. Sadly I suspect most finals, especially with the host’s losing, will end in unsavoury scenes.

 

However, most  of that day was lads who had no hope of going to the match, and the authorities should have foreseen it. That’s not excusing idiotic behaviour, just that, if even I (middle class school teacher) knew many who were going down for the day, sans tickets, then it was sadly predictable. 
 

Hope this doesn’t appear ‘whataboutery’, just I go to other countries, notably Italy, and whilst England has a justified reputation, it’s not just the‘English disease’

[Inspector Lestrade]

Mates, Pub, Beer, put the world to rights, plenty of banter, chippy on the way home.

 

What's not to like?

[folger]

Imagine Holding the largest, most inclusive, international sports event in a dictatorship run by and populated by cavemen. Everything  negative that results from this is thoroughly deserved. 

[Mister Soul]

1 hour ago, trev said:

Tbh it depends.

 

Going to a Wednesday game I'm not fussed as its a common, normal thing.

 

But if it was a cup final or something and I was treating it more like a special occasion....I'd like to relax with my mates and have a few sociable sherberts. Plus it helps calm the nerves

 

But as far as Qatar is concerned....if your annoyed about not being able to drink you shouldn't have bought tickets. This has not come as a surprise. Its not the country for going on a ******** up.

I agree with every word here

[Inspector Lestrade]

1 hour ago, Daniele Giovanni said:

I was referring to scenes after the match where Italians were picked on and assaulted, bad losers fuelled by drinking too much 

 

Yeah but I don't see you having a pop at Italians invading our country and killing thousands.