Football fans were faced with the prospect of having to enjoy a World Cup with no booze as FIFA sources suggest they won’t be pushing the Saudi government to make exceptions
Football fans have been hit with gutting news that they won’t be able to enjoy the 2034 World Cup with a pint, as alcohol in the stadiums will be strictly prohibited.
The news came after the announcement last week that Saudi Arabia will host the tournament in 10 years time. FIFA, who awarded the country the honour, have not yet released an official statement on the booze-side of the game, but sources have claimed that fans from around the world will be pint-less.
Saudis have found it difficult to buy and consuming alcohol since 1952, when King Ibn Saud put a ban across the country. Currently, one shop in the capital city of Riyadh sells booze. However, it is completely run by non-Muslim diplomats and has several strict quotas and control.
Tourist are not exempt from this law, with hotels also unable to provide alcoholic drinks. The shop was opened after 70 years of no booze in the country, and it is said to come with a hefty price tag due to heavy taxation.
According to CNBC, a one-litre bottle of vodka typically costs around £400 on the black market, sources said. Booze was often embezzled into the country due to the restriction. A single bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label can go for around £1000.
The Guardian said their sources claim booze will not be on the cards this World Cup, similar to the experience in Qatar for the 2022 tournament. Qatar felt pressured to relax their rules for stadium booze sales, but then decided to scrap the plans just days before kick off.
Then, thousands of kegs of Budweiser were thrown out from stadiums, which forced Fifa to dish out £40m in compensation owed to its sponsor and the owner of Budweiser AB InBev. Bud Zero and soft drinks were sold at World Cup stadiums.
There was one beer available to purchase in one Fifa fan zone, with a pint of Budweiser costing a whopping £12. Sources claim that Fifa have no interest in selling alcohol in the stadiums, but has not touched on hotels and fan zones.
However, it is thought that Saudi Arabia is more conservative than Qatar, with the latter having several pubs and permitting the sale in hotel throughout the capital city of Doha.
Fifa and Saudi Arabia have close ties already, with the wealthy state oil company Aramco paying Fifa £320m as part of a four-year sponsorship. Not only that, a Saudi Public Investment Fund is putting money into the streaming company Dazn. This has dished out £800m to Fifa for global TV rights for the Club World Cup.
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