The host country – where alcohol sales are usually restricted to foreigners drinking in licensed hotels and restaurants or non-Muslim residents with special permits at home – has put considerable pressure on FIFA to stop selling beer at the eight World Cup stadiums. If the reversal goes ahead, it will mean Budweiser – one of the tournament’s biggest sponsors – will not be able to sell its beer to fans at matches and could put Fifa in breach of a multi-million dollar contract with the company. Discussions on the matter are believed to be ongoing between Budweiser and FIFA, although the Times says that Budweiser’s sales ban is now “likely” following the intervention of Qatar’s royals. The New York Times reported that the intervention was made by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, brother of Qatar’s ruler. As things stand, World Cup visitors can buy alcohol in hotels and restaurants, fan zones at certain times and stadiums – but not inside. Beer will cost nearly £12 a pint in official venues and fans will be limited to four drinks to avoid getting drunk. Anyone who gets drunk could be taken to a special zone to sober up. Qatar is pushing FIFA to implement a ban on the sale of alcohol at World Cup venues The alcohol ban has reportedly been requested by Qatar’s royal family, led by the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (pictured last month) Brian delivered the first beer served at the Qatar 2022 World Cup at the FIFA Fan Festival at Doha’s Al Bidda Park FIFA has already made a concession this week to hosts Qatar regarding the availability of Budweiser at stadiums. Organizers insisted that the Budweiser concession stands were too visible, so FIFA agreed to move them to locations where they would be less visible. Such changes are very unusual so close to the start of a tournament. Just three months ago, FIFA also agreed to move the start date of the tournament a day earlier so that the hosts could play in the only match on that day. Qatar-Ecuador will now be played on November 20. If Budweiser is banned from stadiums, then the only place you can buy alcohol inside the stadiums will be the hospitality boxes, which start at $22,450 per game. Those lucky enough to get a seat in a box are promised “soft drinks, beers, champagne, sommelier-selected wines and premium spirits.” The sale of alcohol is not the only controversy that has plagued Qatar’s World Cup, which is being held in winter because summer temperatures in the desert country often exceed 40 degrees Celsius. The heat will still be intense, even in winter, with daytime temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius with punishing humidity. Wales have already shifted their training sessions from 1.30pm. until 4 p.m. because the players were struggling. The final games in Qatar will start around 22:00 local time when it will be cooler, but some of the earlier games will be played in the heat at 13:00. Qatar also faces serious allegations of abuse of migrant workers who built the World Cup stadiums and infrastructure to cope with more than 1 million fans descending on a country with a normal population of just 300,000 – many of whom are believed to have died in the heat. Officially, Doha says only three deaths are directly attributable to the construction project. But human rights groups say the number is likely in the hundreds, and possibly thousands. Workers from some of the world’s poorest countries have reported being paid as little as pennies a day for their work, while Qatar has also been accused of using North Korean slavery for some of the work. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani (right, in front of camera), president of the Qatar Football Association, stands next to a Budweiser stocking up on a World Cup training session Venues, such as Stadium 974, are likely not to serve beer to fans inside the ground Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA boss who was forced to resign shortly after the Qatar World Cup was announced amid a corruption scandal, even admitted the tournament was a “mistake”. He highlighted a separate issue – the size of the host country – saying the country was simply not big enough to handle the spectacle that is the premier world championship. The Qatari peninsula, which juts out from the east coast of Saudi Arabia, is just 115 miles long – about the distance from London to Bristol. The drive from the east coast to the west coast takes less than an hour. The build-up to the tournament has also been plagued by problems, often linked to the conservative attitudes of the country’s Muslim rulers. Last week, a Qatar World Cup ambassador was reported to have told German broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality is “damage to the mind” as the Gulf state prepares to host the world tournament in less than two weeks. In an interview filmed in Doha and to be aired later on Tuesday, former Qatar international Khalid Salman addressed the issue of homosexuality, which is illegal in the country. Some footballers have raised concerns about the rights of fans traveling to the event, especially LGBT+ people and women, who rights groups say Qatar’s laws discriminate against. Khalid Salman – Qatar’s former international footballer – said people had to accept the country’s rules FIFA has written a letter asking the soccer world to focus on the game at the World Cup and not on off-pitch issues, which has led to criticism of president Giovanni Infantino. The tournament has been mired in controversy over human rights issues in Qatar England will wear armbands emblazoned with the words ‘One Love’ at the tournament
SCOTLAND’S ONLY BELLY-WEARING SOCCER CONDEMNS QATAR’S WORLD CUP AMBASSADOR
Xander Murray slams Qatar World Cup ambassador for ‘harmful’ comments Scotland’s first openly gay footballer has condemned comments by a Qatar World Cup ambassador calling homosexuality a “damage of the mind”. Gala Fairydean Rovers striker Zander Murray decided to go public with his sexuality with an announcement on the Lowland League website in September. Forced to speak out after accepting a role as sports champion for lobby group Stonewall, the 31-year-old says he was “hurt and upset” by former Qatar international Khalid Salman’s comments and called on others to speak out in the hope that he will exercise pressure on the Gulf state. “I’m an openly gay footballer now,” Murray told Sportsmail. “And, of course, you feel hurt and upset by such comments. “Since going public, the reaction has been so positive from across the UK. Therefore, when I heard these comments, I felt deeply hurt by them. “I cannot change who I am and the laws in Qatar directly attack people like me. “For years, I’ve been trying to be someone else and pretend I’m not gay and it’s created havoc in my life. Now I am my true organic self, I cannot but be hurt by what is said there.’
The country is expecting more than a million visitors for the World Cup. “They have to accept our rules here,” Salman said in an excerpt of the interview. “(Homosexuality) is haram. Do you know what haram (forbidden) means?’ he said. When asked why it was haram, Salman said, “I am not a strict Muslim, but why is it haram? Because it is damage to the mind.’ The interview was then immediately interrupted by an attendant. Qatar World Cup organizers, when contacted by Reuters, declined to comment. World soccer’s governing body FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Organizers have repeatedly stated that everyone is welcome in Qatar during the World Cup. Qatar is the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup, but the small nation has come under intense pressure in recent years over its treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws. The country’s human rights record has led to calls for teams and officials to boycott the November 20-December 18 tournament. Last week, FIFA came under scrutiny after Sky News obtained a letter the governing body had circulated to confederations heading to Qatar. “Please, let’s focus on football now!” Infantino and Fatma Samoura named the 32 nations that will compete in the World Cup. “We know that football does not live in a vacuum and we also know that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature around the world. “But don’t let football get dragged into every ideological or political battle there is.” England and Wales – among many other countries – plan to wear rainbow armbands at the tournament with the words ‘One Love’ emblazoned on them. Qatar World Cup chief executive Nasser Al Khater last month said gay supporters were welcome in the country, but warned once again about the nation’s diverse cultural norms. “Everyone will feel safe in Qatar,” Al Khater told Sky News. “We’ve always said that everyone is welcome here. What we are asking for is respect for our culture.’
A two-hour queue and £12 a pint, but the Californian delivery driver becomes the first football fan to drink an official World Cup beer in Qatar (and says it’s worth every penny!)
by VIVEK CHAUDHARY and SHEKHAR BHATIA in Doha for MailOnline A delivery driver from California has become the first fan to drink an official beer at the World Cup in Qatar as alcohol makes its debut at the tournament. Brian Davidson, 45, served a pint of Budweiser at exactly 7pm on Wednesday in the biggest World Cup fan zone in downtown Doha, which opened for the first time amid wild celebrations. He paid £12 for the honor of pouring the first pint and waited almost two hours in a grueling queue for the privilege. A few moments after his meal, Mr. Davidson, who was in charge of…
