World Cup attendees are voicing their frustration after a last-minute reversal in Qatar stadiums’ alcohol policy.
After FIFA confirmed on Friday that the eight official Qatar stadiums are now alcohol-free, visitors were less than pleased during the first game of the championship. During the Nov. 20 game, Ecuador fans chanted queremos cerveza — Spanish for “we want beer” — while leading over Qatar 2-0, according to Sports Illustrated.
A video, originally posted on Twitter by eastern European news outlet NEXTA, displays fans clad in Ecuador’s team colors while shouting the phrase:
Qatar 0:2 Ecuador
The Ecuador national team is leading in the match with Qatar at the World Cup.
Ecuadorian fans chant "Queremos cerveza", which means "We want beer" in Spanish. pic.twitter.com/DD929Y0bmd
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 20, 2022
The beer ban at Qatar stadiums has been the subject of recent controversy, as the decision was publicly announced a mere 48 hours before kickoff. Budweiser invested a reported $75 million in the 2022 World Cup partnership and is unable to offer alcoholic beers to visitors inside the stadium. Instead, the brand is now only offering Bud Zero, a non-alcoholic beer.
Budweiser proposed an alternate solution to this sudden inconvenience; the brand’s official Twitter account stated on Nov. 19 that stock originally earmarked for sale at Qatar stadiums would be delivered to the winning country.
New Day, New Tweet. Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them? pic.twitter.com/Vv2YFxIZa1
— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 19, 2022
While soccer fans can no longer sip brewskis while watching field-side, designated outdoor fan zones are unaffected by the recent policy change.
