Qatar dropped yet another clanger over the row involving alcohol at the World Cup - after apparently attempting to ban sponsors Budweiser from serving drinks at their own hotel.
The American brewers - who have a £63million contract with FIFA and are one of their flagship sponsors - have already seen their agreement redacted with the host country making the decision to not serve alcohol at any of their eight stadiums.
Alcoholic drinks at games are only available at £20,000-per-match executive suites, leading to huge disagreements between Budweiser and tournament organisers. That stepped up a notch over recent days with Qatari officials having attempted to ban beer from the sponsor’s own hotel.
According to MailOnline, government officials in Doha refused to grant a licence to serve alcohol at the W Hotel. The hotel has been acquired by Budweiser for the duration of the entire tournament, meaning that they faced the prospect of not being able to serve their own drinks at their own accommodation.
Executives from FIFA’s commercial department apparently then stepped in and convinced the Qatari authorities to grant a licence to the hotel.
It is just the latest chapter in what has been an embarrassing run of events for Qatar regarding their approach to alcohol. It was originally suggested that alcohol would be available to supporters at certain locations - including stadiums - only for the Qatari government to backtrack, leaving sponsors Budweiser and supporters shellshocked.
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A statement from Budweiser read: “As partners of FIFA for over three decades, we look forward to our activations of FIFA World Cup campaigns around the world to celebrate football with our consumers. Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control.”
It is thought that compensation or legal action could be explored by Budweiser in a bid to find a resolution but that is yet to be determined.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, the owners of Budweiser, have confirmed that all of the alcohol that they were not able to sell during the tournament will be offered to the eventual winners of the World Cup. A statement read: “We will host the ultimate championship celebration for the winning country.
“Because, for the winning fans, they’ve taken the world. More details will be shared when we get closer to the finals.”
There was also another hugely embarrassing gaffe for FIFA during England’s victory over Iran on Monday. Ahead of the Three Lions’ Group B opener, an advert was shown on a big screen inside the Khalifa International Stadium telling fans to hydrate between Budweisers, despite the drink not being available to purchase.
