Alcohol will be banned from streets and public places and if Qatari officials get their way even in stadiums during the 2022 World Cup, the head of the country's tournament organizing committee said on Tuesday. The comments by Hassan Al-Thawadi will further alarm football traditionalists already unhappy that the tournament will be moved to the winter because of fierce summer temperatures in Qatar.

"There will be no alcohol consumption on the streets, squares and public places and that is final," Al-Thawadi, secretary-general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, said in an interview printed on the website of Arabic language newspaper Al-Sharq. "We are against the provision of alcohol in stadiums and their surroundings."

There will not be a total alcohol ban, but drinking will be permitted only in "far-away places," said Al-Thawadi, without going into details. Drinking alcohol is not illegal in Qatar and alcohol is available in hotels, while expats who live in the Gulf emirate can buy drinks after applying for a license. Public drinking however is prohibited and bringing alcohol into the country is also forbidden. As well as the impact on cultural traditions there has been growing concern in Qatar about the link between alcohol and the behavior of fans, especially following clashes at the Euros in France earlier this year, most notably between English and Russian fans. Organizers have already stated they feared alcohol helped contribute to some of the violence seen in France. Al-Thawadi said earlier this year that drunken fans during the 2022 World Cup would be treated "gently". It has been estimated by organizers that up to one million fans could descend on Qatar for the 2022 tournament.

Many of these could stay in hotels, specially designed campsites and cruise ships.