The travelling Ecuador supporters made their disdain for the World Cup stadium beer ban abundantly clear as they defeated Qatar in the opening game of the tournament.
Enner Valencia scored twice in the first half as La Tricolor eased to victory over the hosts at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday evening. While home fans began to leave in droves at half-time, there was a party atmosphere among the hundreds of Ecuador faithful who had made the 14,000-kilometre trip to the Middle East for the tournament.
That was despite the lack of beer at the stadium, following the organisers' decision to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages at the eight grounds hosting the World Cup. The lack of booze was not lost on the Ecuador fans, who could be heard chanting: "We want beer!"
Despite their lucrative agreement with Budweiser, FIFA released a statement confirming the alcohol ban in stadiums on Friday, just two days before the tournament got underway with the Group A opener.
"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," the statement read.
"There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero which will remain available at all Qatar's World Cup stadiums. Host country authorities and FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans.
"The tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev's understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022."
What is your opinion on the ban of alcohol at World Cup stadiums in Qatar? Have your say in the comments!
As news of the alcohol ban emerged on Friday, Budweiser's official account wrote on Twitter, "Well, this is awkward," before quickly deleting the tweet. Parent company AB InBev subsequently released a statement which read: "Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control."
The official England fan group, the Football Supporters' Association, criticised the decision to ban the sale of alcohol in a statement of their own which read: "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 and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters.
"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 fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues."
