Beer ban in Qatar; Thousands of Budweiser beer bottles are piled up

A last-minute decision to ban the sale of alcohol in stadiums during the World Cup left thousands of Budweiser beer bottles tied up in warehouses. Budweiser is one of the main football sponsors of the World Cup. The company received sponsorship and exclusive rights to sell beer in stadiums from FIFA. But Budweiser got stuck when the Qatar government banned sales at the stadium. According to the new directive, only the non-alcoholic version of beer can be sold in stadiums.

The Sun reports that a large stock of Budweiser stock on sale at World Cup stadiums is now being thrown away. Meanwhile, Budweiser has now promised on Twitter that the beer will be served to fans of the winning country in the World Cup. ‘New day, new tweet. The winning country gets the buds. Who will get it?’

Budweiser scoffed at Friday’s announcement that it would ban alcohol from stadiums. He tweeted, ‘Wow, this is unbearable…’ but later deleted the post. According to all accounts, the beer came from breweries in London, Lancashire and Wales and was transported 8,000 miles to Qatar.

The sale of beer in stadiums was banned following pressure from the Qatari royal family. With this, strong criticism is emerging against Qatar and FIFA. Football fans and sponsors came out against him. Many fans who bought tickets say they want their money back and will not be coming to watch the World Cup.

Tourists can only buy or drink alcohol in licensed hotels or restaurants. According to the concessions for the World Cup, fans can buy beer from special ‘fan zones’.