A Saudi official has denied reports that the kingdom planned to ease its long-standing ban on alcohol ahead of the World Cup.
According to Reuters, an obscure wine blog ignited a firestorm online last week when it claimed, without citing a source, that Saudi Arabia planned to allow alcohol sales in tourist settings as the country gears up to host the 2034 World Cup. Several media outlets subsequently cited unnamed government sources as saying beer and wine would be available at licensed venues like luxury hotels, resorts and major tourist developments.
Those reports claimed the supposedly relaxed stance was part of an effort to compete with other Gulf states, only one of which (Kuwait) also bans alcohol. On Monday, drinkers’ hopes were dashed when a Saudi official denied the media reports to Reuters, saying the 73-year-old ban would remain in place.
Other activities once unthinkable in the kingdom are now possible, ranging from dancing at desert raves to going to the cinema, allowances made as Saudi Arabia courts tourists and international businesses. However, alcohol appears to be one area where the ultra-conservative state is unwilling to budge.
[See more: Human rights organisations decry Saudi World Cup announcement]
“Alcoholic drinks are part of the FIFA World Cup, so we’re going to have them,” then-FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said back in 2012. “Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that’s something we won’t negotiate.” The comments came ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which had enacted a law against alcohol in stadiums after a spate of violence. Football’s governing body successfully pressured the South American country to amend the law. A decade later, the situation changed again.
Although public consumption of alcohol is illegal in Qatar, with offenders facing as much as six months in prison and a fine of over US$800, as the last Gulf state to host the World Cup it initially agreed to permit beer sales in stadiums before reversing the decision shortly before the tournament began in 2022 – much to the frustration of many fans. Beer was only made available at high-end hospitality suites and in special fan zones.
Saudi Arabia has even stricter laws around alcohol than Qatar. There is only one liquor store in the entire country, opened in Riyadh last year, which caters exclusively to non-Muslim diplomats. Prior to that, alcohol could only be obtained through diplomatic mail or on the black market.
As the birthplace of Islam, Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict prohibition against alcohol, even doling out punishments for things like alcohol-flavoured products and cooking wines. “Rather like our weather, it’s a dry country,” Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, the kingdom’s ambassador to the UK, told fans in February. “Everyone has their own culture, and we’re happy to accommodate people within the boundaries of ours, but we don’t want to change our culture for someone else.”
