WORLD GONE ‘SOFT’
Qatar beer ban
To beer or not to beer. Qatar sparked outrage on Friday after it banned the sale of beer at its World Cup stadiums just two days before kickoff — an abrupt reversal on a deal the conservative Muslim country had made to secure the soccer tournament.
The shock announcement was the latest sign of the tension that’s been brewing over staging the World Cup in an autocratic state where the sale of alcohol is heavily restricted and consumption banned in public.
For years, Qatar’s tournament organizers have vowed to stand by FIFA’s requirements of selling alcohol in stadiums and to make alcohol widely accessible to the 1.7 million fans expected to show.
But FIFA issued a statement Friday confirming the host country’s sudden party foul, saying only non-alcoholic beer would be sold at the eight stadiums during the monthlong tournament.
Soccer’s Cup loss
Ticket holders will now only be able to consume alcoholic beer in what is known as the FIFA Fan Festival — a designated party area that also offers live music and activities.
“Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters,” a FIFA spokesperson said.
Champagne, wine, whiskey and other alcohol will still be served in luxury hospitality areas of the stadiums — but the vast majority of ticket holders won’t have access to those zones.
The beer ban left soccer fans furious and raised questions among supporters over how much control FIFA has over its tournament in the emirate.
“Some fans like a beer at the match, and some don’t, but the real issue is the last-minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem — the total lack of communication,” England’s Football Supporters’ Association said in a statement.
“If they can change their minds on this at a moment’s notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfill other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues.”
Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporters Europe, echoed those concerns — insisting Qatar had entered “dangerous territory.”
“For many fans, whether they don’t drink alcohol or are used to dry stadium policies at home, this is a detail. It won’t change their tournament,” he tweeted. “But with 48h to go, we’ve clearly entered a dangerous territory — where ‘assurances’ don’t matter anymore. This is extremely worrying.”