Saudi Arabia's sports minister has told Sky News it would be Islamophobic to be forced by FIFA to sell alcohol if a World Cup is hosted in the country.
An ambitious bid for the 2030 tournament is being explored by the Saudis - jointly with Greece and Egypt - and they have not been deterred by the heavy scrutiny on human rights faced by current hosts Qatar.
Even though alcohol is in some bars across Doha, assurances it could be sold at World Cup stadiums were effectively dropped by Qatar just ahead of the tournament beginning last week.
Saudi Arabia is completely dry, which it believes should not be a barrier to hosting a World Cup.
Asked if it would be Islamophobic to impose alcohol requirements on a tournament, Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal told Sky News: "Yes, because the World Cup is for everyone."
He added: "If you are against that, and you don't feel like you're going to enjoy your time coming, and you can't respect that rule, then don't come. It's as simple as that."
While saying the Saudis are "working towards a better future" after facing human rights criticism, no specific reforms were offered.
The murder by Saudi officials of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in 2018 contributed to rights groups opposing the purchase of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
The Saudi sovereign wealth fund is headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to the US intelligence findings, he approved the killing of Mr Khashoggi, but he continues to deny involvement.
The Washington Post columnist's remains have never been found - leading to ongoing questions about the suitability of Saudi Arabia to have a leading role in sport.
"Everyone was horrified by what happened and everyone condemned it in the kingdom," Prince Abdulaziz said.
"What the government did in Saudi, they took action to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
He added: "We know that Saudi Arabia since a couple of years ago has changed a lot, too.
"We know that we're changing towards the future."
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'LGBT fans are welcome - but we have rules'
A World Cup bid could see Saudi Arabia breaching FIFA requirements to not discriminate against gay people - changes introduced in the fallout from the 2030 World Cup going to Qatar despite its anti-LGBT laws.
"They are welcome," Prince Abdulaziz said during the interview in Doha.
"I'm sure they've come to some of our events. We don't go around asking, 'Are you gay or straight?' Everyone's welcome. There are rules that everyone respects."
What are the rules?
He responded: "There are rules that everyone respects about our culture and how they have to abide by the culture that we have.
"So even men and women - they can't show affection in public places, and so on. And that's a regulation that we have that we need to respect. And we have to respect the culture."