Errant vapers at the World Cup have been dealt a lifeline after a UK-based company offered to pay their fines and stop them going back on the fags.
E-cigarettes have illegal Qatar state since 2014 and fans could face draw-dropping fines of up to 10,000 Riyals - around £2,200 - or a maximum of three months in prison if they’re caught.
Despite intensive media coverage in the lead up to the World Cup of a 1,000 football fans polled by Riot Labs half of them admitted to not knowing a single law in Qatar.
READ MORE: Sex toys, porn, booze and pork on mad list of banned items for fans at Qatar World Cup
And that's bad news as at least 30% of the 20,000 England and Wales fans expected to travel to Qatar use e-cigarettes regularly or are ex-tobacco smokers.
Who will win the World Cup? Let us known in the comments section below.
Riot Labs CEO Ben Johnson said: "Obviously attending a major football tournament is an incredible life experience for fans but treating Qatar like the beer garden at the local British boozer could land fans in hot water - even for just vaping.
"Socialising, alcohol, partying, sex - traditionally some of football fans’ favourite escapades - are all examples of major triggers for smoking tobacco and we hope our fines repayment scheme encourages fans to stick to e-cigarettes.
"With thousands of fans heading to Qatar, we wanted to make a bold statement with the pilot scheme to raise awareness of the laws around e-cigarettes."
A staggering 71% of football fans have a total disregard for the laws in Qatar with 26% saying “I couldn’t care less” and 36% believing the rules are just “scaremongering”.
With the vape sector playing a crucial role in helping UK tobacco users quit smoking. E-cigarettes are backed by Public Health England (PHE) as the best tool to kick the habit so Riot Labs hopes its World Cup pilot scheme will enable fans to break the vaping laws risk free - and avoid tobacco in Qatar.
Anxious football fans continue to be bombarded with warnings and guides to what’s banned in the host nation, but industry experts believe the laws around vaping have not been as well documented.
Just last week it was uncovered a group of fans are being paid by tournament chiefs to cover Qatar in a positive light, whilst England’s WAGs were given a DOs & DON’Ts briefing last month to prepare them for their trip.
Johnson added: “ The mainstream media coverage on the laws in Qatar have ramped up as we approach the start of the World Cup, but the legalities around vaping have remained hidden.
"Unfortunately, the laws do not favour e-cigarette users, and as the research shows, there’s still a lot of confusion and misguidance about what you can and can’t do whilst out there.
"Our mission has always been to help create a smoke free world and tackling the issue head on with disruptive initiatives like this around major events is an effective way to do that."
Football fans can register their interest in the pilot scheme here.
READ NEXT:
