Sports bars in Qatar are charging fans up to £240 to watch matches during the World Cup.
Many football fans have already been put off travelling to Qatar for the tournament due to the sheer costings.
Some fans will be staying in desert camps and neighbouring countries for hundreds of pounds per night due to the severe lack of affordable accommodation in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
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Now, according to iNews, sports bars in the city will also be introducing cover charges just to get in. The Marriott Hotel’s Champions Sports Bar, which has been described by Time Out magazine as the capital’s best sorts bar is charging fans 200 Qatari riyals, which equates to around £48 just to get in and watch the group stage matches.
The fee will include three drinks, fans will be able to choose from Budweiser, Corona or a glass of house wine.
For the knockout stages, the price will increase to 750 riyals, which is £180. For the semi-finals and final, the entry fee is upped to a whopping 1000 riyals, which is £240. Meaning fans will be paying £80 for one drink.
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Those charges are for each match, meaning you would have to pay another entry fee if you are wanting to stay for the next match.
It was reported that most sports bars are charging entrance fees that come with drink vouchers. With prices ranging from £35 - £100.
Alcohol prices in Qatar are already one of the highest in the world due to the ‘sin tax’ that the local authorities have introduced.
Ashley Brown, the head of supporter Engagement and governance at the Football Supporters’ Association said: “There isn’t a variety of museums, theatres, restaurants, bars, cafes, it is fairly limited what you can do in Doha.
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“You kind of feel, particularly in the early rounds when all those teams, all those fans are there, Qatar is going to be sort of bulging at the seams, and people may have trouble finding places to get in and watch the game and have a beer, that’s if they can afford to have a beer of course.”
Brown added: “You’re probably not going to go in there for like six or seven hours and drink six or seven pints at that price, certainly not every day, which some people might normally do in a tournament. So I think the combination of capacity, costs, it’s going to be a bit of a strange one.”
The World Cup will kick off on Sunday, 20 November, with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Qatar, Football World Cup
