FIFA World Cup: Sponsors left worried after Qatar does a U-turn on beer sale in stadiums
Sponsors left worried after Qatar does a U-turn on beer sale in stadiums
Just two days before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the organisers on Friday announced that the sale of beer will not be permitted inside the stadiums during the games, leaving a few other major sponsors worried. This step did put FIFA’s multi-million dollar contract with Budweiser, worth nearly $75mn, in limbo.
“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,” FIFA said in an abrupt statement earlier.
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Meanwhile, the owner of American beer giant, Budweiser said on Friday that restrictions at World Cup matches were "beyond our control".
As reported by the Guardian, one representative of another major sponsor has said many partners have ‘felt let down by the FIFA’ and that there have been informal discussions held about potential contract breaches also.
“Everyone has a gripe in some way or form,” they added. “There is a lot of ‘regrouping’ going [on] to understand what the options are contractually speaking.”
Although Qatar, a Muslim-conservative nation will not allow its fans to bring liquor into their country, they have stated clearly that the sale of beer will be permitted during the games only in the hospitality boxes - where the cheapest suites are nearly £20,000 a match, while in some fan zones after 7 pm, where it will cost nearly £12 for 500ml of Budweiser.
The Football Supporters Association, however, looked displeased with this news and one of their spokespeople said, "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 organizing 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 fulfill other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues."