Qatar to ban beer at World Cup stadiums two days before tournament starts

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/18/qatar-to-reportedly-ban-beer-at-world-cup-in-dramatic-reversal.html

by SirLJ • 4 years ago

37 62 4 years ago

cnbc.com

kreid1• 4 years ago

LAME

fsflover• 4 years ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33652599

anonymousDan• 4 years ago

Ha. I remember going to the world cup in rugby in france and drinking about 5 pints during the game for an extortionate price (10 euro each or somesuch). Only found out after the game they were non-alcoholic. I think it is illegal in france to serve alcohol in stadiums?

ilamont• 4 years ago

Didn’t you notice something seemed … off?

giarc• 4 years ago

Probably had 5 real pints on the way to the game so it's understandable not to notice the lack of alcohol. :)

z9znz4• 4 years ago

Some beer is so bad, maybe you don't notice? I imagine the only way Budweiser can still sell beer is by buying exclusive vendor rights at sporting events.

theGnuMe• 4 years ago

NA beer is great in those situations. You get the socialization and trick your mind but no risk of being drunk or hungover.

thelittleone3• 4 years ago

I don't drink alcohol, but surely selling tickets saying beer will be available in stadiums then reversing is grounds for refund of tickets and perhaps more.

nisegami• 4 years ago

Who would someone complain to for that refund? FIFA?

rbanffy2• 4 years ago

I'd suggest, in this case, a deity or their local representative.

rbanffy2• 4 years ago

Do the tickets actually say that?

discordance• 4 years ago

Qatar building stadiums at the cost of 6500 workers lives seems pale in comparison.

thelittleone3• 4 years ago

Wait what? 6000? I hadn't heard that and did a little searching. This fact check here seems to debunk that number. Though I don't have time to investigate further, and any lives lost is terribly sad.

https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-how-many-people-have-died-f...

alexmolas• 4 years ago

In my country (Spain) it's not been allowed to drink alcohol in stadiums for a long time ago. I think it's normal to ban alcohol from these kinds of places to avoid fights and problems.

z9znz4• 4 years ago

There are a lot of negative things to say about the US, but I've always been amazed at how US sporting events involve a lot of alcohol but rarely have significant conflicts. This is in stark contrast to EU/UK football events.

Some years ago I was visiting Germany for the first time, and while walking the city I passed an area with 20+ police vans and dozens of officers armed with assault rifles.

I paused and politely asked one of the cops if there was something going on... or why was there such heavily armed police presence? He casually said, "oh there's a football match here this afternoon".

Semaphor• 4 years ago

It’s insane. Trains to games have the fans segregated from the normal population (a temporary extra walking lane), and police with machine pistols make sure everyone stays where they are supposed to.

I think it’s mostly an issue with the "Ultras", but as a non-fan I don’t know much about it.

bennysonething• 4 years ago

My theory is that free health care in the UK makes the drunken population more likely to fight each other. Or possibly that picking a fight in the USA could get you shot.

realityking• 4 years ago

[..] I was visiting Germany [and saw] dozens of officers armed with assault rifles.

A bit of nitpick but I’ve never seen German police with assault rifles (unlike the US, France, and Belgium). There were more likely MP5 machine pistols which are quite commonly carried in sensitive areas or around major events as a “show of force”.

maegul• 4 years ago

Australia has a similar confusion about Euro sporting culture. Australian Football (AFL) is a more violent sport and alcohol is allowed in the stadiums yet to Europeans it is a strikingly family friendly affair with children present and no (major) patron violence.

sybercecurity• 4 years ago

They are rare, but the do happen. When they do they tend to be spontaneous riots and not between organized groups of fans. The famous $.10 beer night riot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night

It might help that most beer sold in US stadiums tends to be mass produced beer with low alcohol content (Coors Light is only %4.2). Still, it's nice to have something that's not a heavy beer in the summer.

plutonorm• 4 years ago

To the UK yobbos it's half the sport. They go to a match to watch the game, then they pick a fight. It's how they satisfy their blood lust. It's a tradition. I think their right to procreate should be withdrawn.

comprev• 4 years ago

The only time I've seen a battalion of riot police deployed in Amsterdam was during euro/world cup football tournaments when bars were showing England matches.

denton-scratch• 4 years ago

I've always been amazed at how US sporting events involve a lot of alcohol but rarely have significant conflicts.

I suspect it's something to do with association football itself.

I believe baseball is traditionally a working-class entertainment; but the fans will clap and cheer the opposing team. NFL football is a chance for everyone to get together and eat hotdogs. People go to matches where they don't support either team.

Football/soccer fans only go to matches where their team is playing. There are two matches - one on the field, and one between the fans (which crowd can sing or shout loudest). Certainly, the crowd at UK football matches is much louder and more excited than the crowd at baseball and NFL matches (omitting superbowl).

I don't know anything about college football.

dkarl• 4 years ago

I've always been amazed at how US sporting events involve a lot of alcohol but rarely have significant conflicts

I think there's a different cultural attitude towards fighting here. Fighting with fists is something boys do that they grow out of. Of course American culture has a macho aspect that see violence as a fundamental masculine skill, but even people who buy heavily into it don't have an idea of fighting as good clean fun. Fights where nobody gets really hurt are kid stuff, because men should be more capable than that. Serious violence will likely involve guns, which only makes sense for extremely desperate people and/or criminals, so if you're not a hardened criminal, living in wretched poverty, or a failed man-child, you look silly initiating physical violence. Though of course you watch it constantly on TV and in movies and constantly worry about your (assured in-)ability to turn into a bad-ass on a moment's notice if necessary, because it's fully expected of you.

And of course popular culture is incredibly nostalgic for the days of casual fighting in bars, because it's exciting entertainment and a great way to build characters that people want to identify with.

ydnaclementine• 4 years ago

One difference between US/Euro sporting events is it's seen more of a family thing in the US. You take your kids to see the big game, enjoy the atmosphere. In contrast to Europe, at times it seems kinda do-or-die for the team you put your faith in. One close comparison is maybe college sports in the US

pxue2• 4 years ago

Do you typically have opposing teams in a stadium in EU/UK?

In NA it's typically all home team crowd, either you're all happy together celebrating the win or all sad together mourning a loss.

sys_64738• 4 years ago

I paused and politely asked one of the cops if there was something going on... or why was there such heavily armed police presence? He casually said, "oh there's a football match here this afternoon".

Did you really ask them? Riot police usually don't go out of their way to casually interact with members of the public.

creaghpatr• 4 years ago

Sure, but they don’t ban alcohol in the entire city/country before and during the game.

jrs235• 4 years ago

Dupe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33652599

ahartmetz• 4 years ago

It is good that Qatar trouble hits FIFA where it hurts - sponsors.

ASalazarMX3• 4 years ago

Brazil did the same in 2014, and somehow FIFA made them change. Overpriced beer makes a lot of money.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-16624823

macinjosh• 4 years ago

Which prince did anheuser-busch forget to bribe?

dudeinjapan• 4 years ago

Ironically, the frog prince.

ID1452319• 4 years ago

I read that Bud Zero will be available. I'm not sure whether that adds insult to injury or not.

destroy-2A• 4 years ago

Whoever awarded the bid really needs to go to jail.

jacooper3• 4 years ago

Boohoo, can't drink and annoy others?

ru5522• 4 years ago

You can have one without the other.

jacooper3• 4 years ago

Good.

Drinking in public events is always annoying.

p0pcult2• 4 years ago

Then don't do it!

jacooper3• 4 years ago

I dont! Its annoying for others.

haunter• 4 years ago

Those in corporate areas of stadiums at the tournament will still be able to purchase alcohol

lmao can't make this up

This is like when I was hitchhiking in the Balkans and I saw turkish truck drivers in a car park drinking under their truck. Like literally laying down on the tarmac under the truck. I didn't understand it and asked some "it's okay, Allah don't see it there"

ASalazarMX3• 4 years ago

Maybe that was a joke? I personally know non-orthodox Jews that eat pork or other non-kosher foods, and non-orthodox Catholics who eat meat during Easter. I suppose there are non-orthodox Muslims too.

justsomehnguy• 4 years ago

"Allah don't see it there" is quite known as an excuse to anything what otherwise is forbidden or frown upon ni Muslim world.

ofrzeta2• 4 years ago

It's almost touching if they were serious. In southern Germany there's a dish called Maultaschen (similar to Ravioli) that used to go by the name "Herrgottsbscheißerle" (swabian dialect, literally "little god cheaters"). During the easter week it was prohibited to eat meat before easter sunday, so they put the meat inside the dumplings, so god could not see it.

Qatar to ban beer at World Cup stadiums two days before tournament starts

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