Fans attending the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will not be allowed to buy alcohol around stadiums.
The move is a dramatic U-turn by Qatari officials just days before the tournament kicks off on Sunday evening.
Qatar had previously told fans they would only be able to buy beer outside the stadium bowl itself, but within the perimeter for ticketholders "three hours prior to kick-off when the gates open and one hour after the final whistle".
However, at the insistence of Qatar's Al Thani royal family, that will no longer be the case at matches.
Now, it is understood beer will only be available in fan zones in Qatar after 6.30pm and drunk fans will be sent to special 'sober' zones.
The move is set to cost FIFA millions in profit as it will be in breach of a contract with the tournament's official beer sponsor Budweiser.
If the Qatari royal family are successful, the only place, in stadiums, that would sell alcohol would be hospitality boxes, which start at €24,000 for one match.
Fans know they can purchase alcohol at fan parks, but the pricing of the drinks has been heavily criticised whilst they can only purchase up to four drinks at a time.
There has been heavy criticism over a number of aspects of the international tournament.
These are mainly based around Qatar and its human rights record, attitude towards women and LGBTQ+ people, migrant workers rights, the corruption of FIFA itself to award the tournament to Qatar, how it's being held in winter because of the 40C heat in Qatari summers which disrupts the majority of footballing calendars, the illegality and price of alcohol due to strict laws and many other issues.
There are fears from LGBTQ fans, which were only heightened when a former Qatari international Khalid Salman said "they have to accept our rules here", also adding that homosexuality was "damage in the mind."
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