World Cup host Morocco has outdoor alcohol ban and conservative LGBT and women’s rights scene

Host of the Club World Cup for the third time in its history, Morocco is experiencing a great moment in terms of football. The country, which has been trying to host a World Cup for nearly two decades, comes from a historic campaign in the Qatar Cup, in which it reached the semifinals at the end of last year. At the same time that it aims at internationalization, its daily life is permeated by conservative customs.

As in Qatar, alcohol consumption is not allowed outdoors in the country, being allowed only in bars, hotels or specialized restaurants. Access to drinks, however, should not be as difficult as in Qatar (when the hosts prohibited the sale and consumption even inside the stadiums), since it is possible to buy them in local shops. Prices may not be the most attractive, since most of the country, adherents to Islam, do not consume alcohol.

The country is a monarchy commanded by King Mohammed VI, who has been on the throne for 23 years and also occupies the role of religious head. In the midst of this scenario, the country still adopts conservative rules and legislation regarding the rights of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQIA+) people.

International human rights organizations criticize old legislation in the country that does not criminalize, for example, marital rape. Women who report rape in the country are also subject to punishment if their version is not accepted by the authorities. Local laws also make access to divorce and inheritance difficult in marriages, possibilities of protection after cases of domestic violence, in addition to making it more flexible for girls to marry from the age of 15.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), laws that restrict individual freedoms remain in place, including regulations that LGBTQIA+ people. Amnesty International points out that the country’s penal code criminalizes sexual relations between people of the same sex.

The tough behavioral rules are accompanied by punitive mechanisms that can be triggered by the authorities in case of “non-violent speech offenses” and “causing harm” to Islam or the monarchy. The local government has already prosecuted journalists and social media figures who have criticized the government. One of them was YouTube commentator Jamila Saadane, sentenced to three months for “insulting organized institutions and distributing false claims” after she alleged that authorities protected sex tourism activities in Marrakech, one of the country’s top destinations.

The Club World Cup has its semifinals starting this Tuesday. at 4 pm, Flamengo and Al-Hilal fight for a place in the final, in Tangier. On Wednesday, it is the turn of Real Madrid and Al-Ahly to measure forces.