In the usually teetotal country of Qatar, visitors may only purchase or consume alcohol in hotels or restaurants that have a license. For the World Cup, exceptions would have allowed supporters to purchase beer in designated “fan zones” or on stadium concourses.
Beer can now only be served inside “fan zones,” however, as Qatar appears to have broken their end of the bargain. To prevent people from getting too inebriated, pints will cost £12 and only be available during specific hours.
If someone does get intoxicated, they run the possibility of being ejected until they sober up.
A 25-year-old England fan named Alex Todd called the ban “madness” as fans in Qatar reacted to it with a mixture of rage and resignation.
Since Fifa banned beer sales outside World Cup stadiums in an emergency move reportedly prompted by pressure from Qatar’s royal family, Budweiser’s owners have spoken publicly for the first time.
Bud and numerous other beer brands are owned by the brewing behemoth Anheuser-Busch InBev. The company stated it still looks forward to “celebrating football with our fans,” but some sales are unable to take place due to “circumstances beyond our control.”
A sarcastic message that began, “Well, this is awkward…,” before being deleted, was submitted to Budweiser’s Twitter account hours before the brief, terse statement was made public.
