Irish pub bosses at the Qatar World Cup hope they do not run out of beer – despite charging €15 for pints of Guinness and lager.
A shock late rule change by FIFA means only VIPs in private boxes are allowed booze in stadiums – putting pressure on hotels that allow bars on their premises.
Cork woman Ronnie Griffin, 57, is the only female pub boss in all of Qatar and told the Irish Mirror from The Irish Pub: “I hope we have enough booze.”
Read More: Irishman wrongly arrested in Middle East issues DOs and DON’Ts guide for fans at World Cup
Chris Garvey, 64, at The Shamrock Irish bar, also in Qatar capital Doha, said: “There are not enough bars.
“We needed the stadiums to sell beer before the games to ease the pressure.
“Guinness is 48 Qatari rial [€12.70] a pint, so we’re going to freeze the prices for the World Cup.”
Drink is normally strictly forbidden in Muslim state Qatar, which was criticised for restrictions on women, but Ronnie’s customers said: “Beer we go!”
She revealed: “We have had so many calls from Irish fans that we had to put a reservations-only policy in place.
“We’re already full for the whole tournament. I have 120 seats and every one of them is booked out.
“But if there are any Irish fans who are stuck, tell them to WhatsApp me. You have to take care of your own.
“Bars are only allowed to operate in hotels. We’re in the Best Western and a pint of Guinness costs 60 rial [€15.90].
“The pressure is on. There’s no sale of alcohol outside of licensed premises and we have been so busy getting ready all week.
“Fans have been arriving non-stop from Ireland and Spain and all over and they have been coming straight to Irish bars like ours.
“We have plenty of stock at the minute, but we might run out.
“I hope there won’t be a shortage, but this is a first-time experience for Qatar. I hope things go well and that it is a stunning event.”
Bar owner Chris, whose pub The Shamrock is in the Magnum Hotel, told the Irish Mirror: “We’re Chris, who runs the pub with his brother Melvin (59), added: “Our dad James came from Co Clare and we are a typical Irish Catholic family with six children.
“So the pub will be packed with the craic throughout the World Cup.
“We have pints of Guinness for 48 rial, bottles of Magners for 58 rial [€15.40] and Jameson for 40 rial [€10.60].
“We’ll be showing all the games and we’re not putting up our prices but we won’t be having any happy hours.”
FIFA’s statement yesterday, which followed pressure from Qatar’s royal family, revealed that Budweiser, which was marketed as the official beer of the World Cup, is now not allowed.
Supporters will still be able to consume alcohol in designated fan zones, plus in bars like Ronnie’s and Chris’s, and at the Irish Harp in the Sheraton hotel.
But FIFA’s decision left plenty of fans, who decided to skip this controversial World Cup, tweeted yesterday that they are glad to be staying at home.
Ronnie said: “There will be plenty here and our bar is near the Cornish fan zone. Fans there can walk straight from there to us.”
Former logistics worker Ronnie had a short-term contract at Doha Airport five years ago but loved the city so much that she fell in love with it and stayed.
She said: “I’m a pool player, I love it, so I went to a bar called De Irish and eventually took it over and changed its name to The Irish Pub.
“I’d never worked in a bar in my life before. It’s been a whole new experience and a new lifestyle. My family joked that I was mad, but I love it.”
Chris added: “We had Derry’s win over Shelbourne in the FAI Cup Final on the TV last weekend and we’ll have every World Cup match.
“We sponsor the local GAA club, so even though Ireland is not at the World Cup, we’ll have mighty craic and hope it will be a fantastic few weeks.”
READ NEXT:
Permanent TSB latest bank to up mortgage interest rates - all you need to know
Met Eireann forecast temperatures to plummet below freezing as cold snap hits
Irish dad-of-13 'been through hell' as he lists series of unfortunate events
'Your mam was right' - Expert warns drinking from bathroom tap could be deadly
RTE Radio One boss fears he will lose two major stars to rival stations
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
