World Cup 2022 : Qatar prohibits unmarried sex

For several days, dozens of articles have reported several details around the organization and the rules in force during the World Cup, which will be

 World Cup 2022 : Qatar prohibits unmarried sex

 

For several days, dozens of articles have reported several details around the organization and the rules in force during the World Cup, which will be held in Qatar, in November-December 2022. But what is it really? 

What will or will not be possible to do during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar? For two days now, dozens of articles published in France and abroad have announced that, during the competition to be held in November and December 2022, sexual relations outside marriage will be prohibited for supporters and players, on pain of seven years in prison.

Where does this information come from? If we go up the wire, we realize that the information comes from the Daily Star, a British tabloid. In an article published on Saturday (June 18th) about fears in the UK that England fans will be worried by Qatar's very strict laws, it read: "Police source says: sex is really not on the menu unless you are husband and wife. There will be no one-night stands. Everyone has to keep a cool head or end up in jail."

    Well, it's the Daily Star… But if it's true, it's serious Up to 7 years in prison for sexual relations outside marriage which would be officially forbidden to everyone by Qatar during the next World Cup … https://t.co/wLd1D7DjnO
    — Sacha Nokovitch (@SachaNoko) June 21, 2022

It is therefore this article, and especially this anonymous quote, which has been taken up everywhere by dozens of media. But the situation is a bit more complicated than that. Extra-marital relationships are totally prohibited in Qatar, an unmarried couple cannot have intimacy gestures in public, and cannot live under the same roof. Otherwise, individuals risk arrest, possibly prosecution which can result in a fine or imprisonment and deportation from the country.
A poorly enforced law

This situation is therefore not specific to the World Cup. Above all, in practice, this law is very little applied, and even less so for tourists or expatriates. For example, to book a room as a couple, you must in theory show a marriage certificate. In fact, most hotels do not require it. As for the authorities, while confirming that there is indeed a ban, we are referred to the declarations of the president of the organizing committee of the World Cup: namely that Qatar is a tolerant, welcoming, hospitable country and that all supporters must feel safe.

In summary, Qatar effectively prohibits relations outside marriage, but also homosexuality. In practice, this prohibition is more or less respected.
The organization displays a form of tolerance in relation to these laws without concretely formalizing this commitment either.