On the eve of the start of the World Cup, the President of FIFA gave a press conference: fans will survive without beer at the stadium
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President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino gave a press conference on the eve of the World Cup in Qatar. During his speech, he spoke in support of the LGBT community and said that everyone would be welcome at the championship. He also commented on FIFA’s decision to ban the sale of beer in World Cup stadiums. According to Mr. Infantino, the fans will be able to spend three hours at the World Cup without beer.
The FIFA President began his speech with these words: “Today I feel like a Qatari. Today I feel like an Arab. Today I feel like an African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel like a migrant worker” (quoted from The Guardian). According to Mr. Infantino, he knows by personal example what it means to be discriminated against and to be intimidated by a foreigner in a foreign country.
In October, Qatar authorities allowed LGBT fans to hold hands and display rainbow flags. However, on the eve of the competition, the official ambassador of the World Cup in Qatar, former Qatari national team player Khalid Salman, reminded LGBT fans of the Muslim specifics of the emirate. He said the fans would have to accept those rules.
According to the President of FIFA, he has discussed the issue of LGBT people with the Qatari leadership many times. “They assured me and confirmed this many times: everyone will be welcome here. If someone thinks not so, then this is only his personal opinion. I repeat, everyone is welcome in Qatar. This is our joint message,” he said.
Gianni Infantino also reported that solution a ban on beer in stadiums was agreed between Qatar and FIFA. “I personally believe that if you do not drink beer within three hours, then nothing will happen to you. The same laws are adopted in France, Scotland, Portugal,” he said. Mr. Infantino also noted that the stadiums will have separate “alcohol” fan zones where you can buy beer.
However, he acknowledged that the decision was “very bad for Budweiser”, the official sponsor of the World Cup. Every four years, Budweiser pays approximately $75 million to participate in the championship as part of a sponsorship agreement.
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