Foreign Ministry produces fans guide to World Cup in Qatar

The Polish Foreign Ministry has produced a guide for football fans going to the World Cup in Qatar telling them what they can and what they cannot do in the Muslim country.

There have been fears that supporters going to the tournament, which starts later this month, may fail to adapt their behaviour to the laws and customs of the conservative Gulf state.

"We urge our citizens to familiarise themselves with any restrictions that may be imposed on them," said MSZ spokesman Łukasz Jasina at a press briefing on Wednesday.

"A country where, for example, alcohol is forbidden, and where, unfortunately, it is forbidden to demonstrate certain behaviours in public, regardless of whether it is the behaviour of same-sex or heterosexual couples, due to Islamic law being in force," Jasina said.

Taking this into account, and the fact that fans may not be able to celebrate victory or comes to terms with defeat in the ways they are accustomed to in European or American cities, the Foreign Ministry decided to produce its guide.

"We have prepared an information package for our fans explaining to them what absolutely cannot be done in Qatar, and what, of course, theoretically can be done, but we recommend should also not be done," said Jasina.

The guide tells fans, for example, to not wear "skimpy or revealing clothing" in public, and to refrain from drinking alcohol in public.

Jasina added that Qatar’s climate also poses a challenge.

"Despite it being November and December, the heat will still be higher than anything we have had the opportunity of experiencing in Poland this year," he said.

The tournament takes place from November 20 to December 18, and will be the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East and the first in an Islamic country.

The Polish team will kick-off on November 22 as part of group C, where they will face Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Argentina.