Qatar World Cup: activists and protesters vs soccer fans: US journalist dead

difficult topic for me

 

Its bad but not even the worst host fifa has given us

they gave the 78 world cup to argentina under a brutal military dictatorship that killed thousands and even kidnapped babies

 

If awful human exploitation and other human rights violations weren't enough. More reason not to go to the World Cup.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/18/sports/soccer/world-cup-beer-qatar.html
Qatar Bans Beer Sales at World Cup Stadiums
The about-face on alcohol could violate a multimillion-dollar FIFA sponsorship agreement, and signaled that soccer’s governing body may no longer be in full control of its showcase event.

DOHA, Qatar — Beer is out at World Cup stadiums.

In an abrupt about-face, Qatari officials have decided that the only drinks that will be on sale to fans at games during the monthlong World Cup will be nonalcoholic.

The decision, which came two days before the tournament’s opening match on Sunday, was confirmed on Friday by FIFA, the tournament’s owner.

“Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues,” FIFA announced. The decision, it said, would mean “removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters.”

The ban on beer is the latest and most dramatic change to an evolving alcohol plan that has for months increased tensions between FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, and Qatar, a conservative Muslim nation where the sale of alcohol is tightly controlled. But it also will complicate FIFA’s $75 million sponsorship agreement with Budweiser; infuriate fans already chafing at restrictions, costs and inconveniences around the event; and once again leave organizers scrambling to adjust in the final hours before the tournament begins.

But it also suggested that FIFA, which has faced years of blistering criticism for its decision to bring its showpiece championship to Qatar, may no longer be in full control of major decisions related to its event. A decade ago, for example, the soccer body pressured Brazil for just the opposite outcome: leaning on the Brazilian government to change a law in order to allow beer to be sold in stadiums, a practice that had been banned in Brazil since 2003.

In Qatar, FIFA has instead bowed to the demands of the host country. That raised the possibility that other promises that run counter to local laws and customs — including issues like press freedom, street protests and the rights of LGBTQ+ visitors — were not as rock-solid as Qatar and FIFA have said.

The Football Supporters’ Association, a fan advocacy group based in Britain, criticized the decision.

“Some fans like a beer at a game and some don’t, but the real issue is the last minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem — the total lack of communication and clarity from the organizing committee toward supporters,” the group said in a statement.

“If they can change their minds on this at a moment’s notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfill other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues.”

The ban on alcohol consumption seemed to apply only to fans attending games. Beer and other drinks, including an official FIFA Champagne and an array of sommelier-selected wines, will still be available in stadium luxury suites reserved for FIFA officials and other wealthy guests.


The decision to ban beer comes a week after an earlier edict that dozens of red beer tents bearing Budweiser’s branding be moved to more discreet locations at the World Cup’s eight stadiums, away from where most of the crowds attending games would pass.

World Cup staff members were told the move followed security advice. But the belief that the change had originated with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani — the brother of Qatar’s ruling emir and the royal most active in the day-to-day planning of the tournament — suggested it was nonnegotiable.

One official involved in the process said FIFA officials agreed because they were concerned that if they did not they risked seeing Budweiser’s concessions being shut down entirely.

Qatar has grappled with the subject of alcohol ever since the tiny Gulf nation was awarded World Cup hosting rights in 2010. Alcohol is available in the country, but sales are strictly controlled. Most visitors, even before the World Cup, were permitted to buy beer and other alcoholic beverages only in upscale hotel bars and at unusually high prices.

World Cup organizers appeared eager to mollify Budweiser and its corporate parent, the Belgium-based multinational Anheuser-Busch InBev, saying, “tournament organizers appreciate AB InBev’s understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone.”

Representatives for Budweiser, who had suggested last week that they were blindsided by Qatar’s earlier changes to their sales strategy for the World Cup, did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The company’s only public statement was a wry one from its Twitter account, which wrote, “Well, this is awkward….” The tweet was deleted about 90 minutes later, and just before FIFA’s statement was released.

Last week, Qatari organizers tried to play down the rising tension over beer sales, a fixture of World Cups for generations, by saying that operational plans were still being finalized, and that changes were still being made in “the location of certain fan areas.” Its statement also noted that “pouring times and the number of pouring destinations” remained the same at all eight stadiums.

Budweiser, which pays FIFA the $75 million for each four-year World Cup cycle, had said it was working with organizers “to relocate the concession outlets to locations as directed.”

The newest plan means that the brewer’s red tents now may not be visible at all around stadiums; unbranded white replacements are being considered. Refrigerators in the company’s famous red colors are likely to be replaced by blue ones, the color associated with Budweiser’s nonalcoholic brand, Budweiser Zero.

 

Maluma, finally an artist that is focused on making music and not getting caught up in fake outrage and woke culture... Good for him....

 

Not his best song, but atleast he isn't bending the knee for the woke cancel culture. He could totally agree with Biden's radical far left views and spend hours enjoying wokesters throwing tomato soup at paintings and I wouldn't mind one single bit. As long as he doesn't try and push fake outrage down people's throat he is free to believe what ever he wants and I'll respect it.

Thing is thou, wokesters believe only their beliefs and culture matters. Anyone who does not agree does not deserve representation or respect. The World Cup which only happens every four years and is not only a contest of the most popular sport in the world is also an opportunity for different countries to share their culture and traditions. I'm sure the woke artists really made a difference, paired with She Hulk and The M She U I don't see how the world is not a woker place already...

 

I think the argument is more about why Fifa chose Qatar, not that it bent over for 'western values and customs'.

Everyone agrees, or most agree, that Qatar had no business hosting this world cup, right?

Are we now supporting slavery (or rather indentured servitude) because it is anti-woke? What is going on in this thread lol...

Honestly, if Biden said drinking water was 'woke' some of you dudes would stop drinking it.

 

1. Kinda actually surprised you call this type of activism woke because unlike the other stuff you call woke, this is attacking something the right loves to attack and that's Islamic culture. Like ATW would disagree with you here and he's the most frequent user of the term "woke".

2. This is where I defend the West a little bit the West does at least one thing much better than Qatar and that's is labor rights and honestly that is the biggest issue with Qatar getting the World Cup bid.

One of the biggest reasons why countries that don't have the infrastructure to support these massive events don't usually get rewarded with them. It is that the toxic combo of poor labor rights and desire to expand massive amounts of sporting infrastructure like stadiums in a absurd amount of short time results in massive amounts of human right abuses and deaths.

Qatar didn't have the infrastructure to host an event like this so they promised a plan to build it. And combine that with their horrible treatment of migrants workers from South Asia, it results in thousands of unnecessary deaths.


Now you can label calling out the massive human rights and labor violations that Qatar did to get their World Cup as woke, but I doubt you'll get much sympathy for that.

 

Stop making up stuff other people "would" say.

I don't disagree with him. I'm tired of all the virtue signaling. The world cup is in Qatar, now everyone stfu, respect the hosts and play football.

 

Oh boy. What happened man? You would be the first person a couple of years ago to attack Qatar and ragging on leftists for not touching Muslim countries and their oppression because they don't want to be labeled islamophobic.

It seems like you are addicted to the usage of the term "woke" to the point where it makes you stray from your core values.

 

All the virtue signaling is fake. Wearing a colourful armband or holding your hands over your mouth - whatever. Doesn't change anything about my conviction that Islam is a dangerous ideology, but all the virtue signaling doesn't address that, it's just self-aggrandizing. The event is in Qatar, of course that should have never happened and Infantino is a corrupt crook, but now it's a fact, so everyone stfu and respect the hosts and play football.

 

You just make this **** as you go along huh?