Johannesburg - After promising to unban the sale of alcohol, Qatar made a U-turn on selling alcohol at the stadiums just days before the start of the Qatar World Cup.
The Muslim Gulf nation has a strict alcohol rule, even though the sale of alcohol is not illegal in Qatar.
However, getting drunk in public is said to be a criminal offence, with the country adopting a "zero tolerance" policy for drinking on the streets. The decision to ban alcohol sales at the stadium forced some fans to react with fury, with some saying they would reject this ban by coming to the stadium drunk.
It costs between $16.50 to 20 dollars to get a haircut in Qatar. This was as the World Cup began on Sunday.
On Sunday, the opening fixture of a game between World Cup hosts Qatar and Ecuador painted bleak prospects for the much-awaited World Cup in Doha. Qatar became the first home team to lose their opening World Cup match after Ecuador cruised to a 2-0 victory over the hosts.
According to Football 365, some of the prices, including that of beer, have been priced out of the range of the average supporter.
The Times said the country’s strict alcohol laws and high prices were responsible for the high prices, even though it was reported that the prices would be lowered during the four-week soccer tournament from £5 (R89) and £8 (R142). However, Fifa’s official beer supplier, Budweiser, is reported to be charging 50 riyals (£11.60) or R206 rands for a 500ml beer. This really means that fans will find it hard to drown their sorrows or celebrate their nation's win. If you are South African, that is even worse.
When it comes to accommodation, the prospects are even bleaker, with a recent report by Forbes saying hotels are fully booked. It is reported that a seven-night stay on a cruise ship costs more than £4 200, or R74 800.
Forbes has put the price of rooms on the MSC Poesia cruise ship at £150 (R2 600) per night, with the price of a double room for most nights closer to £420 (R7 500). At the lowest end of the range, "temporary en-suite portacabins" for up to two people have been priced at £170 (R 3 000) per night.
A Polish financial services company, Conotoxia, has estimated that the cost of supporting your team all the way to the final could set you back more than £15,000 or R267 000, with a two-person 10-day trip for the group stages alone standing at over £5,000 or R89 000.
The Star