Qatar has banned the sale of beer at the eight stadiums where the FIFA World Cup will be played. The tournament, typically the world’s largest sporting event and a decade in the planning, kicks off Sunday.
This decision comes comes after months of tension between them and FIFA, football's global governing body. Initially, FIFA sponsor Budweiser was the only beer permitted to be sold at the Qatar World Cup official venues.
The decision to ban alcohol sales within stadiums is an about-turn from Qatar’s previous position. The Supreme Committee on Delivery and Legacy had promised alcohol will be available in designated “fan zones" outside stadiums and other hospitality venues.
In September, organisers of the World Cup in Qatar had finalised a policy to serve beer with alcohol to football fans at stadiums and fan zones.
The FIFA World Cup starts from November 20, where the hosts will face off against Ecuador in the inaugural match of the highly-anticipated football championship.
The touranment has been in news, ranging from scheduling complications due to Qatar’s summer heat to the treatment of migrant workers.
Qatar prohibits alcohol sales at almost all restaurants not associated with a high-end hotel or resort. With employer permission, foreign residents can also buy bottles of liquor, beer and wine for home consumption from a single Qatar Airways-run depot on the outskirts of Doha.
FIFA and Budweiser maker AB Inbev, which have been in partnership since 1986, are pushing for more concessions. They’ve had success in the past, when Brazil passed the so-called Budweiser Bill to overturn local laws that prohibited beer in stadiums for the 2014 World Cup.
