(Football news) Concerns have been raised by multiple sponsors after Qatar authorities banned alcohol from stadiums, a decision that complicated its $75m (£63m) contract with the brewer of Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch InBev. A representative of a major sponsor, who spoke on condition of anonymity said many partners had felt “let down by Fifa in lots of ways”. He also said that informal discussions had already taken place about potential contractual breaches and reneging on deliverables. They added “Everyone has a gripe in some way or form. There is a lot of ‘regrouping’ going [on] to understand what the options are contractually speaking.”
Earlier, FIFA had confirmed that alcohol won’t be sold in and around the stadiums by saying “Following discussions between host country authorities and Fifa, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the Fifa Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters. There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero, which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums.”
Qatar, being a conservative Muslim country has a strictly controlled policy regarding the sale of alcohol but organisers had assured fans and sponsors that alcohol will be available in designated fanzones and match venues and will be reasonably priced. Since the u-turn, alcohol now will only be available in hospitality boxes where the cheapest suites could cost £20,000 a match while 500ml budweiser could cost £12 in some fan zones after 7 pm. The decision is also taken keeping in mind the large number of supporters from Gulf and Asian countries, where drinking is not a part of the culture.
The u-turn has led to a frustrated response by the Football Supporters’ Association, with a spokesperson saying “Some fans like a beer at a match and some don’t, but the real issue is the last minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem – the total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters. If they can change their minds on this at a moment’s notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues.”
Also read: Angel Correa, Thiago Almada replace Nicolas Gonzalez, Joaquin Correa
