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  • Qatar World Cup 2022: FIFA chief says fans can ‘survive’ without beer for 3 hrs amid ban

    Qatar World Cup 2022: FIFA chief says fans can ‘survive’ without beer for 3 hrs amid ban

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    A day after ban imposed by Qatar, the host of this year’s FIFA World Cup, on sale of beer at the World Cup stadiums, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the fans can ‘survive’ without the alcoholic beverage for three hours. The much-awaited football tournament will kick off on November 20, Sunday, where the host nation will take on Ecuador.  

    Qatar is the first Middle-east nation to host the world cup. The sale of alcohol is strictly controlled in Qatar as drinking in public areas is strictly prohibited. Earlier, official sponsor Budweiser was allowed to sell beer at the Qatar World Cup official venues.

    Speaking at the opening press conference in Doha, Infantino said: “We tried until the end to see whether allowing alcohol sales was possible.” “If for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive. Maybe there is a reason why in France, in Spain, in Scotland, alcohol is banned in stadiums. Maybe they (Qataris) are more intelligent than us, had thought maybe we should be doing that.”

    As per the revised rules, fans and spectators can drink alcoholic beer in the evenings in the FIFA Fan Festival, which is a designated party area that also offers live music and activities.

    Also read: FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Know about host nation, opening match, squads, ticket prices, and more

    The ban came as a major shock to official sponsor US-based beer giant Budweiser, which has reportedly pumped in $75 million as part of the sponsorship agreement with FIFA. And now, when it won’t be allowed to sell its product or have any visibility at the matches, its brand value will suffer. This would a complete breach of the multimillion-dollar contract that FIFA and the beverage company have signed.

    The FIFA chief on Saturday pointed out that even in previous World Cup editions, hosts were asked to make concessions. Like in 2014, Brazil was forced to change a law to allow alcohol sales in stadiums.

    Messi’s injury

    Earlier in the day, Argentinian forward and superstriker Lionel Messi and six other players reportedly missed Argentina’s field training camp at Qatar University as many feared that the ace footballer could be injured.  

    The 35-year-old ace footballer is Argentina’s captain and greatest hope for the upcoming tournament. The South American country hasn’t succeeded in winning the top title since 1986, when superstar Diego Maradona led them to glory in Mexico. Many believe as Messi is paying his last world cup, it’s time for Messi to end the nation’s trophy drought.

    Later in the day, Argentine outlet Ole reportedly said that the Paris Saint-Germain star was part of a ‘special’ programme in the gym, specially designed for him to prevent any risk of injury before the tournament.

    Also read: Who will win the 2022 FIFA World Cup? Brazil is the favourite, Messi may score most goals

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  • Indian supporters in English football team jersey in Qatar mocked as ‘fake fans’

    Indian supporters in English football team jersey in Qatar mocked as ‘fake fans’

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    Indian fans of the English football team might have landed in Qatar to cheer for their favourite team and captain Harry Kane, but it soon turned into disappointment for them as they were branded ‘fake fans’ by many social media accounts and media. 

    Indian fans clamoured to get a good view of the English team staying at the five-star Souq Al Wakra hotel in Doha. They banged drums, blew trumpets, and cheered ‘England! England!’  in celebration. They even cheered for Gareth Southgate, who coached the team.  “Southgate is our super coach! Sterling is our super star! Pickford is our super keeper” and “It’s coming home!” were some of the chants from the fans.

    But many social media accounts suggested that the Qataris paid locals to dress up and create some excitement. They have been accused of paying locals to pretend to be Agrentinian, English, Brazilian, German fans and more. The fans have refuted the claims, and said that they were not paid to support anyone. 

    The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee rejected accusations of these fans being fake. The Guardian spoke to many fans who said they were from Kerala. The committee said in a statement, “Fans from all over the world – many of whom have made Qatar their home – have contributed to the local atmosphere recently, organising fan walks and parades throughout the country, and welcoming the various national teams at their hotels.”

    Numerous journalists and commentators on social media have questioned whether these are ‘real’ fans, said the committee, further adding that they ‘thoroughly reject’ these claims, and called them both ‘disappointing and unsurprising’.

    One fan told the news site that they are not getting paid, and even if they were, they would turn them down. “We are diehard England fans. My favourite player was Beckham, but now it is Saka. If someone offered to pay us to support England we would turn them down. We are genuine supporters. Many of us grew up watching Beckham and Michael Owen. Our love is to this team.”

    In another TikTok video that reportedly shows a glimpse of the accommodation, white tents can be seen on the sides of a road. Each tent has a flag of a competing country, and has two basic single beds, separated by a cabinet. 

    Also read: Fifa World Cup 2022: Reliance Jio launches international roaming plans for football fans; details here

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