FIFA and Qatar on Friday banned beer sales around the eight World Cup stadiums in a stunning policy U-turn just two days before the start of the tournament.
The announcement comes two days before Sunday’s kickoff of the World Cup, the first to be held in a conservative Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, the consumption of which is banned in public.
“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 FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters,” a FIFA spokesperson said in the statement.
The move brought new criticism of Qatar, already under pressure over its rights record.
“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,” said the Football Supporters Association in England.
“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.”
Qatar has spent tens of billions of dollars preparing for the World Cup and has predicted that more than one million fans will visit the country for the 29-day tournament.
