QATAR: NO BIRONGA FOR THE INFIDELS AT 2022 WORLD CUP

By Tarik Panja

New York Times

DOHA, Qatar – Beer gets a red card at the World Cup.

In an abrupt about-face, Qatari officials have decided that the only drinks that will be on sale to fans at stadiums during the month-long World Cup will be nonalcoholic.

The decision on beer sales was confirmed on Friday morning by a World Cup official familiar with the change in plans. The official asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak with the news media, and because Qatar was still preparing its official announcement.

The move is the latest and most dramatic change to an evolving alcohol plan that has for months increased tensions between FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, and Qatar, a conservative Muslim nation where the sale of alcohol is tightly controlled. 

But it also will complicate FIFA’s $75 million sponsorship agreement with Budweiser; infuriate fans already chafing at restrictions; and once again leave organizers scrambling to adjust – this time only 48 hours before the tournament’s opening game on Sunday.

But it also suggested that FIFA, which has faced years of blistering criticism for its decision to bring its showpiece championship to Qatar, may no longer be in full control of major decisions related to its event. 

The organization’s official guide notes that “ticket holders will have access to Budweiser, Budweiser Zero, and Coca-Cola products within the stadium perimeter” for at least three hours before games, and for one hour afterward.

The ban on alcohol sales to fans at stadiums – beer will still be available in luxury suites reserved for FIFA officials and other wealthy guests – comes a week after an earlier edict that dozens of red beer tents bearing Budweiser’s branding be moved to more discrete locations at the World Cup’s eight stadiums, away from where most of the crowds attending games would pass.