According to reports, Qatar not only banned alcohol from stadiums, but also in the very hotel taken over by the parent company of Budweiser.

It’s been a wild time for football fans and organisers alike. While FIFA World Cup host Qatar was already facing backlash for human rights and labour law violations, the country also attracted the ire of fans when they banned alcohol from being sold in stadiums and the areas around them. 

This, of course, was a nightmare for Budweiser, who are one of the primary sponsors of this year’s event. While Qatar eventually ended up reversing the ban, there were caveats attached: alcohol would only be served in swanky executive suites going for $20,000 a match (approximately $30,000 AUD). 

According to Sportsmail, however, Qatar also refused to grant a licence to serve alcohol to the W Hotel – Budweiser’s official headquarters for the duration of the tournament. This meant that Budweiser’s executives and guests couldn’t partake in their own beverage in their own buildings. 

The matter was resolved when FIFA’s commercial department stepped in and ‘eventually managed to persuade the hosts to grant a licence, in the process stopping them from making a difficult situation even worse.’ 

In other news, Qatari scholar Dr Nayef bin Nahar got into a spat with US journalist Grant Wahl on Twitter after Wahl claimed he had briefly been denied entry into one of the stadiums on account of wearing a rainbow shirt. 

Nahar then responded to Wahl: “As a Qatari I’m proud of what happened. I don’t know when will the westerners realize that their values aren’t universal. There are other cultures with different values that should be equally respected. Let’s not forget that the West is not the spokesperson for humanity.” 

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