Deepening economic woes have taken some of the cheer out of the World Cup for any soccer-crazy Zimbabweans who had hoped to briefly escape their troubles with a few drinks while watching the tournament on television.

A Zimbabwean woman holds a loaf of white bread and its cost of Z$45,000 ($ 0.45) in the capital Harare February 16, 2006.The southern African country is battling a deepening economic crisis which critics blame on President Robert Mugabe and which has driven inflation to the highest level in the world, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) data. [Reuters]

Sports bars, including one across the street from President Robert Mugabe's official residence in central Harare that escapes daily water and power outages, had been reporting brisk business during the tournament.

But that might change. The price of beer went up by 50 percent on Tuesday, the third increase this year, and the cost of scarce gasoline rose by about a third.

Regular gasoline, available at a handful of gas stations in Harare on Monday, cost 370,000 Zimbabwe dollars (US$3.60; euro2.80) a liter (US$16.30; euro12.85 a gallon.) Minibus operators pushed up their fares after gas shortages forced them to buy black market fuel, defying government orders to maintain fixed charges for the type of transport used by most Zimbabweans.

Long lines of vehicles snaked around gas stations awaiting deliveries of fuel and dwindling supplies were expected to further increase the price, industry executives said.

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