Kick off times for next year’s World Cup are going to cause problems for some bar owners in certain municipalities.
Palma
.—There was some good news yesterday when it was announced that the kick off time of England’s first game against Italy has been brought forward three hours, but that still means that the match starts at midnight local time.
During the last World Cup, strict rules were introduced, particularly in Calvia which banned bar owners from having TVscreens facing out into the street and, in Calvia, there are strict restrictions on noise, the use of terraces late at night and only plastic beakers outside and with the World Cup being played in June and July, peak season, bar owners want to make the most of the tournament as possible because, due to costs, most England football fans will opt for watching the World Cup at home or in sunny Majorca, Britain’s most popular Summer destination.
One bar owner, who has all the necessary noise regulation systems, said that he would be showing all of England’s games apart from the first because of the late kick off time, all the other games are earlier. But, some bar owners have made their concerns clear about what steps some council may decide to take "in the interests of public safety".
As an example of just how worried local councils can get about World Cups, three years ago, Calvia Local Police underwent special crowd and disturbance control courses.
Needless to say, it was not necessary and the South Africa World Cup passed off with no incidents in Magalluf or neighbouring resorts.
However, bar owners know that councils have a knee jerk reaction to World Cups, especially in Magalluf and along the Playa de Palma and many are braced for new restrictions to be enforced during the tournament.
While all those contacted by the Bulletin yesterday said they would obviously comply with the law, they said that they hope any crackdown will not affect their business and takings because the World Cup could prove very lucrative after some very slow Summers.