There has been no shortage of controversies throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with FIFA President Gianni Infantino making some outlandish comments and the organization asking teams to “stick to football” with multiple teams and players planning to support the LGBTQ+ in different ways due to Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies. But one major controversy has been Qatar’s policy on alcohol and beer.
Initially, Qatar and the World Cup were planning to serve alcohol at designated fan locations as well as outside of stadiums. However, as the setup for the event began before the start of the World Cup, the Qatari royal family reportedly grew uneasy at the visible alcohol sales tents and demanded them be moved to less-visible locations.
Then, just days before the start of the World Cup, Qatar made the sudden decision to entirely ban beer and alcohol outside stadiums – a shocking move for an event that is heavily sponsored by Budweiser and is typically alcohol-heavy.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for fans to express their disappointment. During the very first match of the World Cup between Ecuador and the host country of Qatar, Ecuadorian fans chanted “queremos cerveza” in the stands, which translates to “we want beer.”
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
It’s a perfect response to FIFA and Qatar’s policies, and it was the perfect thing to chant while facing the host country on the soccer pitch.
[NEXTA]
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