Beer will reportedly not be sold at FIFA World Cup venues in Qatar following a surprise decision less than three days after the start of the tournament.
World Cup hosts Qatar reportedly pressured FIFA to stop selling official sponsor Budweiser beer in the eight stadiums hosting the matches.
The News from New York reports that the lawsuit has been satisfied, forcing FIFA into a possible contractual disaster with Budweiser.
Only one non-alcoholic option will be sold in the stadiums.
Apparently confirming the news, Budweiser’s official account tweeted: “Well this is awkward…”.
The only place where it was certain that the beer would be available to all football fans was in the fan parks in Doha.
FIFA, the world governing body for association football, could breach its multibillion-dollar contract with Budweiser if it is not allowed to sell its product or have visibility at matches.
It comes after reports that Qatar’s royal family asked FIFA directly for Budweiser to move beer tents from stadiums to less prominent locations.
The beer giant, which reportedly pays $US75 million ($112 million) every four years to be the tournament’s official alcohol sponsor, was seen moving its stores last week.
Alcohol is not banned in Qatar, but its sale is strictly controlled. Normally, visitors can only buy it at the hotel’s restaurants and bars for a premium price.
Budweiser could be banned from selling beer at the World Cup. Image: Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg NewsSource: Supplied
Budweiser’s owner, AB InBev, told Sky News that it had only been informed of the decision that its branded stores were to be moved eight days before the start of the tournament.
“AB InBev was informed on November 12 and is working with FIFA to move the points of sale to the locations as instructed. We are working with FIFA to provide the best possible experience for fans,” the company said.
“Our focus is on providing the best possible consumer experience in the new circumstances.”
The New York Times posted a video of the tents being moved.
There have been warnings for fans attending the World Cup. Homosexuality, swearing and drinking alcohol or drinking in public are criminal acts in Qatar.
Radha Stirling, founder and director of legal aid group Detained in Dubai, which has launched an app to help troubled World Cup fans, said fans could get into trouble over trivial issues.
“Qatar has not experienced mass tourism before this year and it is very likely that visitors will experience problems, as we have seen in Dubai over the past decade,” he said. The sun.
“It’s hard to advise people to ‘obey the law’ when the laws are so strict that Qatar tells the police to ‘get rid of the tourists’ during the cup.
“The arbitrary application of the law creates confusion and risk for visitors.
“As in Dubai, people are often singled out when a complaint to the police is made by a local Qatari who has been ‘offended’ by a visitor.
“The police are obliged to act on the complaint.”
Men walk past a replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy outside the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan on November 12. Image: Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFPSFource: AFP
World Cup organizers in Qatar said last week that thousands of rooms were still available for the tournament despite fears that the tiny Gulf state would be packed with fans when the tournament began.
There were at least 25,000 rooms available even during the peak days of the World Cup, scheduled for November 24-28, organizing committee director of accommodation Omar Al-Jaber told a news conference .
Asked about fears over a shortage of hotels, Jaber said: “That’s not the right message. We have enough accommodation and people can come and enjoy the tournament and choose what they want.”
Qatar has been at the center of widespread criticism over its human rights record, but organizers say 2.9 million of the 3.1 million tickets have been sold.
Jaber said the country was still expecting more than one million visitors during the 29-day event starting on November 20.
— with AFP