alcohol is far more diicult to come by.
Only available at licensed ive-star hotels and restaurants, with
a bottle of Corona or Heineken costing £10 upwards, there is only
one licensed liquor store in the entire country with locals needing a
permit to obtain alcoholic beverages from a warehouse.
It’s quite an eye-opener to visit an Islamic country having
stepped out of Christmas in the UK a day earlier. Dressing
conservatively is the norm (although there is a relaxed attitude
towards visiting football fans wearing shorts) while the only public
shows of afection that are permitted include greeting someone
and celebrating a goal at a sporting event. Which is useful as
Liverpool are pretty good at scoring goals.
Liverpool’s FIFA Club World Cup semi-inal looms. The Reds play
Mexico’s Monterrey tonight although a late venue-change means
they will do so at the Khalifa International Stadium rather than at
Education City – one of eight new or upgraded stadiums that will
host the World Cup – which hasn’t been completed in time.
Across the city at Doha Sports Park, next to Doha Golf Club, is
Qatar’s irst-ever fan-zone. It’s a metro trip and shuttle-bus ride
away, of the beaten track and well away from the city-centre.
That’s because it’s the irst outdoor venue where beer, at £5-a-pint,
has ever been served and the location where many of the estimated
2,000 travelling Kopites congregate each night. They’re not just
here for the food and drink, either.
From small beginnings in a 2011 post-match gig at the Static
Gallery on Liverpool’s Berry Street, BOSS Nights are now a
Liverpool phenomenon. So if you’re going to have a fan-zone inBOBBY
VISION #