Gabriella Ferlita
Following FIFA’s belated announcement that alcohol will no longer be available in stadiums for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, thirsty fans have taken matters into their own hands.
The football governing body had previously said that alcohol would be sold in 'select areas within stadiums' during the controversial tournament, before backtracking on their word just days before the tournament was set to kick off.
Now, England fans have flocked in their masses to a Qatar-based pub selling £6 pints in a bid to pre-drink before heading to the match.
And honestly, the scenes which ensued at The Red Lion in Doha couldn’t get any more British.
Punters were filmed singing an absolute football classic, ‘Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)’ whilst other rowdy football chants were echoing from the walls within the establishment.
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At just over £6, those looking to sink a few pints can tuck into a pint of Carlsberg, Kingfisher or San Miguel Light, while bottles of Corona, Budweiser and Heineken and Peroni come in at just under £6 a bottle.
A pint of Guinness will set you back just over £9.30 a pint... which is still very much worth it, I'd say.
Many pub-goers took to Twitter to share their love for the pub, with one even dubbing it as ‘the best place in the world’.
“Unreal screens at red lion bar in Doha. 'It’s coming Home' followed by 'Delilah' great atmosphere between both sets of fan, no trouble for the media to report on #followenglandaway,” Ryan Powell wrote, while Stephen Robinson added: “Red Lion Doha is incredible.”
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“The Red lion Doha, what a boozer,” another added of the pub.
The update on drinking rules at the World Cup comes after officials from the Qatari state demanded earlier this month that tents selling and advertising Budweiser, a big sponsor of the World Cup, must be moved to less 'obtrusive locations'.
Fifa and Qatar had previously reached an agreement that the sale of alcohol would be allowed in a security perimeter outside venues, but not inside the stadium bowls themselves. However, footage shared online on Sunday showed members of staff moving tents bearing Budweiser's logo to new locations.
Qatar is said to have put more pressure on Fifa to perform a U-turn on its beer policy for the event just last night (17 November), so at the moment the only place that fans can confidently expect to get a beer will be at the Doha fan parks.