Mexico City looks to rein in street drinking after massive World Cup party

MEXICO CITY – Mexico City’s government said on June 19 it is considering measures to limit the sale of alcohol in public spaces, after over 700,000 people gathered downtown to celebrate Mexico’s football team advancing to the knockout phase of the World Cup.

Their 1-0 victory over South Korea saw massive street celebrations, with fans dressed in green Tri jerseys or wearing colourful lucha libre (free wrestling) masks and dancing in the rain, waving flags, singing anthems and blowing on vuvuzelas.

The next morning, Reforma Avenue – one of the city’s main arteries – was littered with rubbish and many of its yellow cempasuchil flowers had been trampled over. The authorities collected some 40 tonnes of waste around the historic centre.

The Mexican capital’s government secretary Cesar Cravioto told a press conference that part of its duty of care during the huge football event is prevention and this involves controlling illegal sales of alcohol on the streets.

Cravioto said the government would ask restaurants and bars in the area to prevent customers from taking alcoholic drinks off premises and that convenience stores nearby could be asked to stop selling alcohol in the hours before a big game.

The authorities also said it was planning to set up seven more large screens around the centre – in addition to the current 12 – to help disperse crowds, and that it would deploy more personnel to limit the sale of beer by street vendors.

“We will keep insisting that fans have fun but without excessive alcohol consumption,” Cravioto said.

In Boston, another World Cup host city, Scottish fans known as the Tartan Army drank such vast quantities of beer after Scotland’s team beat Haiti 1-0 in Group C in Foxborough that several bars reported running dry.

Mexico will face the Czech Republic in their final Group B game on June 24.

In related news, German fans trying to practise Sparsamkeit, or the art of careful spending at the World Cup, found that the high beer prices in Toronto are proving a challenge.

They were seen queuing up outside pubs downtown, some with their suitcases having arrived straight from the airport. Though the mood was upbeat, when asked about the price of Toronto pints, they were quick to criticise.

“I have to tell you the beer prices in Canada and the US are much more expensive than in Germany,” said Mats Kauer, 47.

“In Germany, we pay about US$6 (S$7.75) to US$7 for a pint, but there it is about US$10 to US$14, and in the stadium, it is US$17. That is ridiculous. You have to make it cheaper because beer is essential to life.”

Canada has one of the highest food inflation rates among Group of Seven countries. And while the exchange rate against the US dollar and the euro makes it relatively cheaper, the addition of tax and tips can inflate prices.

In Toronto bars and restaurants, servers expect tips between 12 per cent and 20 per cent, while 13 per cent tax is also added to the bill.

For 61-year-old Heiner from Berlin, who is planning to follow all of Germany’s matches, Toronto has been an enjoyable destination to take in the atmosphere.

“But the beer prices here are what we pay in Munich during Oktoberfest,” he said, adding that a litre costs 50 per cent more.

Toronto pubs have defended their prices, saying they are comparable to Europe. REUTERS