Hyderabad: The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has engulfed the world in soccer fever, and one would unquestionably want to watch it on the big screen, cheering alongside the rest of the football fans.
Those who couldn't make it to Qatar to see their soccer heroes in action planned to watch the game in one of the city’s multiplexes, pubs or sports bars while experiencing pulsating stadium-like energy.
However, the severe restrictions recently imposed by the police on pubs, as well as the refusal of permission for players such as Inox to screen the matches, ruined all the fun that the Hyderabadis had hoped for.
Several city soccer fans were forced to confine themselves to their homes to watch the football action, with the restrictions putting a damper on their hopes of watching the sport on larger screens. Football fans were outraged by the restrictions, with some saying, "we feel the police in the city reflect the same spirit of Taliban policing."
“Brand Hyderabad is marketed as a global city, attracting international investment and international events. On the other hand, the city follows medieval rules and regulations. Although youth make up 80 percent of the population in Hyderabad, major decisions are made by a select few who are either nearing retirement or are senior citizens,” said an angry football fan.
Inox, which is screening FIFA World Cup matches in Mumbai, Kolkata, Goa, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Delhi, Surat, Vadodara, Gurugram, Indore, and among other cities, was unable to screen in this so-called “global city” due to a lack of permission.
According to Puneet Gupta, AVP India, marketing, Inox Leisure Ltd, the company aimed to provide soccer fans with the feeling of being in the stadium. “Our team found it difficult to obtain permission to screen in Hyderabad. We had intended to show FIFA World Cup matches, as we do in other cities. We wanted to screen in some of the 16 screens in this city because football has huge audiences as well as a lot of fan craze.”
Hemalatha Reddy, an actress, said the fun in the city is being ruined by imposing restrictions that are unnecessary in this city. "Our law enforcing agencies are stuck in the primitive mind set," she said.
"We live in a city that operates global businesses, where corporates finish their work mostly late at night. Pubs and sports bars should be allowed to serve at least until 2 a.m. Because of several restrictions, the majority of pubs are losing money, and many pubs in the city have closed down,” said Cleo Fernandes, a celebrity photographer.
Shiv Das, a private employee, described the restrictions as Taliban-like. "When I see such stringent restrictions, I wonder if I'm living under Taliban rule."
“The cops should relax the restriction in some extraordinary events. Public screening should be permitted, while proper security precautions must be taken,” said Raju Swaroop, senior director at a consultancy firm.
According to A. Jaya Prakash, general manager of Broadway The Brewery, which has the city's biggest screen, the restrictions imposed are killing their business because patrons are disappointed as they are compelled to shut their business at 12 midnight.
"FIFA matches do not begin until after midnight. After the lockdown, business is slowly picking up; most corporate companies in our vicinity have begun to party, and they only begin to trickle in only after 10 pm," he said.
