I definitely had this one on the World Cup bingo card.
[ESPN] - World Cup organisers have banned the sale of alcohol around stadiums in Qatar after last-minute showdown talks, FIFA announced on Friday.
First reported by British newspaper The Times, FIFA and Qatari organisers were engaged in late negotiations over whether beer would be sold at the stadiums during the tournament, which begins on Sunday.
"We don't need intoxicants! We got Islam!"
FIFA said in a statement: "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 the sales points of beer from Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters."
While supporters can purchase alcohol at the (handful of) official fan zones during the competition, the sale of beer at the matches themselves has been a controversial topic. |