Qatar has come under immense scrutiny for a plethora of reasons ahead of it hosting the 2022 World Cup. But perhaps the worst development of all unfolded this morning when the Muslim nation announced that beer will not be sold at any venues hosting a soccer match.
The news comes as a shock as the nation originally agreed to a multi-million dollar deal with Budweiser, which tweeted out an equally funny and fitting response to the ban earlier this morning that has since been deleted.
Budweiser, World Cup $$$ponsor, deletes tweet saying it’s awkward that no beer will now be sold at Qatar stadiums.
— David Conn (@david_conn) November 18, 2022
Football’s relationship with alcohol should really be debated, but maybe not with just two days to go after 12 years … pic.twitter.com/qP3hL6jVQh
Perhaps the most frustrating element of this news for the common fan is that executives will still be allowed to have alcohol in their suites, while they will be forced to watch a game without a beer.
Originally, Qatar was going to allow spectators to have booze, but force them into designated spaces outside of stadiums to sober up before heading into public (drunkeness is not permitted in the Muslim nation).
With all the social justice undertones and major hiccups FIFA has had putting on this edition of soccer’s biggest sporting spectacle, it will be interesting to see how drastically this newest development affects the reception of the World Cup.
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