Aussie fans left dry by 11th hour beer ban

2 years ago 70

DOHA: We're present six days into the World Cup and rules astir intoxicant work successful Qatar person continued to beryllium arsenic inconsistent arsenic they were a week ago, arsenic Australians who were hoping for a fewer meal beverages earlier the Socceroos' clash with Tunisia volition beryllium near precocious and dry.

Multiple venues successful the country confirmed to Wide World of Sports that, adjacent a fewer days ago, they were inactive advertizing pre-match events with meal and brew options - but a last-minute pivot has ruined those plans.

While archetypal conversations with authorities proved positive, the authorities went backmost connected the determination and volition alternatively enforce the accepted cut-off clip of 11am for intoxicant service.

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"Unfortunately we person had to cancel our Pre Match Drinks astatine the Aussie Hive connected Saturday owed to the authorities changing their rules past infinitesimal regarding the merchantability of intoxicant earlier 11am," said Mitch Scott, who helps negociate events astatine the Hive barroom successful Doha, which serves arsenic a de facto hub for Australian fans.

Some mightiness inactive beryllium capable to sneak successful a cheeky pint oregon two, but with the Australia crippled astatine 1pm local, and having to let plentifulness of clip to marque it to the venue, it'll beryllium post-match festivities instead.

Fans are alternatively heading to the Al Bidda Park fanzone successful the greeting to congregate - albeit soberly.

American fans find communal crushed with Aussies

Walking done the Souq Waqif successful the Doha' metropolis centre, it doesn't instrumentality agelong perceive the all-too-familiar 'USA! USA!' chants ringing retired among a radical of red, white, blue-kitted travellers.

Ahead of their lucifer against England, a fewer 100 US fans gathered successful the country for a pre-game rally - and for them, coming to Qatar meant missing Thanksgiving astatine home, which is 1 of the astir important days connected their vacation calendar.

"In a batch of ways it was a bully excuse to not person to person those governmental discussions with my family," joked Ryan Shirah, a Florida-based USA fan.

"It's benignant of bully to conscionable beryllium similar 'oh sorry, I'm successful different state watching a athletics you don't attraction about'."

A fewer other, more-creative chants ringing out, including 'throw the beverage successful the harbour' and 'you got kicked retired of Europe' - and if there's 1 radical that relishes beating England arsenic overmuch arsenic Australians do, it's this lot.

"There's decidedly a kinship with Australia - Irish, Scottish, Welsh excessively - we each hatred the English," Shirah said.

He and immoderate different Americans were successful the Green and Gold Army for the France game, and were trying to get tickets to Tunisia.

"Australians are conscionable truthful welcoming arsenic a federation and arsenic a people, and we're stoked due to the fact that there's truthful galore of america coming to the Women's World Cup adjacent twelvemonth arsenic well," helium said.

"In fact, there's a batch of our fans who didn't travel to Qatar due to the fact that they're redeeming up for that."

Every Friday is Good Friday

An absorbing quirk astir Qatar beingness caught a batch of visitors flat-footed connected Friday morning - with the federation efficaciously shutting down for prayers until the afternoon.

Most cafes, shops and different venues, including authoritative FIFA buildings were closed until aft midday oregon 1pm, which galore visitors would not person realised.

A monolithic radical of worshippers were seen praying extracurricular the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium connected Friday morning, up of the clash betwixt Iran and Wales - the erstwhile winning a thriller with 2 precocious goals.

Saudi brag sledges ain players, gets superb results

Video has surfaced of an inspiring half-time squad speech from Saudi Arabia manager Herve Renard, wherever helium berated his players for showing Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi excessively overmuch respect erstwhile helium had the ball.

Renard urged the Green Falcons to beryllium tighter connected Messi erstwhile helium had the ball, arsenic the magical No.10 had a comparatively casual clip of things successful the opening 45 minutes.

"Take your phone, you tin instrumentality your representation with him if you want," helium shouted derisively astatine his players during the break, with the Saudis trailing 1-0.

It worked a dainty - they came retired for the 2nd fractional and enactment successful a show for the ages and scoring doubly to unafraid a celebrated 2-1 win.

Hosts implicit historically-embarrassing feat

Qatar's show astatine this tourney was ever going to beryllium enactment nether a microscope, and it's just to accidental they've wholly failed.

Not lone are they the archetypal squad eliminated, they're the archetypal big federation to EVER beryllium knocked retired aft conscionable 2 radical signifier games.

They'll decorativeness their run against the Netherlands adjacent week, and it volition beryllium precise absorbing to spot however galore Qatar fans are successful attendance.

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