Connect with us

Published

on

World Cup fans in Qatar will not be allowed to buy alcohol at the tournament’s eight stadiums.

The U-turn comes 48 hours before the competition’s opening game between Qatar and Ecuador at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor on Sunday.

Qatar had originally ordered Budweiser stands to be less prominent, but now alcohol won’t be sold at all at stadiums – with the exception of corporate spectators.

Those in corporate hospitality at stadiums will still be allowed to drink alcohol.

FIFA said: “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, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters.”

It added Bud Zero would still be available, and that it would “continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans”.

A source briefed on the decision told Sky News: “These have been long-term discussions, and the overall feeling from everyone involved was that the stadiums need to be for everyone.

More on Fifa

“This World Cup is different to others in that a larger number of fans are attending from across the Middle East and South Asia, where alcohol doesn’t play such a large role in the culture. The thinking was that, for many fans, the presence of alcohol would not create an enjoyable experience.

“The fan zones will be different in that some are clearly designated as alcohol-serving, while others are alcohol-free. Fans can decide where they want to go without feeling uncomfortable. At stadiums, this was previously not the case.”

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - FIFA Fan Festival - Doha, Qatar - November 16, 2022 General view of a beer bar at the FIFA fan festival REUTERS/Muath Freij
Image:
A Budweiser beer bar at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha, Qatar

The sale of alcohol is strictly controlled in Qatar, and is only allowed in the Muslim nation within hotel bars and restaurants away from street view.

It had to relax its alcohol restrictions to allow FIFA sponsor Budweiser to sell its products outside match venues and fan zones.

Now Qatar 2022 has gone even further – at the insistence of Qatar’s Al Thani royal family, it is understood.

As one of FIFA’s biggest sponsors, Budweiser has the exclusivity to sell beer at World Cup matches.

It reportedly pays more than £60m over four years to be a FIFA top-tier sponsor, and this late change is unlikely to have gone down well.

A tweet from the official Budweiser account on Friday morning, which was later deleted, simply said: “Well, this is awkward…”

One fan replied to the post, saying, “I cannot watch England play whilst I’m sober next Monday” – to which Budweiser responded: “Don’t be, we’ll join you.”

Budweiser tweet
Image:
Budweiser later deleted its ‘this is awkward’ tweet

Budweiser owner AB InBev later issued a statement, saying: “As partners of FIFA for over three decades, we look forward to our activations of FIFA World Cup campaigns around the world to celebrate football with our consumers. Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control.”

It would have been the only alcoholic beverage available to fans.

Read more:
Drunk fans will be sent to special zones to sober up
Qatar World Cup: Nine stories to watch out for

The Football Supporters’ Association, for fans in England and Wales, criticised what it described as a “total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters”.

“Some fans like a beer at the match, and some don’t, but the real issue is the last minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem,” it 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 fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues.”

Qatar had initially told fans they would be able to buy beer outside the stadium bowl itself, within the perimeter for ticketholders, “three hours prior to kick-off when the gates open and one hour after the final whistle”.

Now, it is understood beer will only be available in alcohol-serving fan zones in Qatar after 6.30pm and drunk fans will be sent to special zones to sober up.

Footage on social media in recent days shows red Budweiser tents being moved on wheels by staff.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale – on media duties shortly after the news broke – said: “I think the fans will find some way of having a beer, I don’t think you need to do it so much at the game.

“Hopefully, with them not being able to drink we can perform on the pitch to give them that excitement and buzz.

“But we also have to respect the rules and continue to work, we will put pressure on ourselves to entertain from the football pitch.”

Beer U-turn raises questions about Qatar’s word on other issues


Rob Harris

Rob Harris

Sports correspondent

@RobHarris

Clearly, the sale of any alcohol for the first time at stadiums in Qatar was causing concern for the ruling family in this conservative Muslim nation.

For English fans, it is less about the inability to buy a drink – unless now it is alcohol-free Budweiser – but how much Qatar’s word can be relied on when there are concerns about the welcome for LGBT fans.

The Qatari decision is a blow to Budweiser and its £60m+ sponsorship.

But the winners are still those in corporate hospitality at stadiums. They will still be allowed to drink alcohol during the next month of matches.

Read the full analysis here.

Continue Reading

World

Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to ‘humanitarian area’

Published

on

By

Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to 'humanitarian area'

Any remaining residents in Gaza’s largest city should leave for a designated area in the south, Israel’s military has warned.

Israeli forces are carrying out an offensive on suburbs of Gaza City, in the territory’s north, as part of plans to capture it – raising concern over an already-devastating humanitarian crisis.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure to stop the attack and allow more aid in, the military has announced a new humanitarian zone in the south.

Spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Gaza City residents should head to a designated coastal area of Khan Younis.

There, he said they would be able to receive food, medical care and shelter.

On Thursday, Israel said it has control of around 40% of Gaza City and 75% of the entire territory of Gaza.

Many of the city’s residents had already been displaced earlier in the war, only to return later. Some of them have said they will refuse to move again.

That’s despite the military claiming it is within a few kilometres of the city centre, coming after weeks of heavy strikes.

But the war in Gaza has left Israel increasingly isolated in the diplomatic sphere, with some of its closest allies condemning the campaign that’s devastated the territory.

Just two weeks ago, a famine was declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a globally recognised system for classifying the severity of food insecurity.

A resident runs with his belongings in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A resident runs with his belongings in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters

There is also concern within Israel, where calls have grown to stop the war and secure the release of the remaining 48 hostages.

Israel believes 20 of those hostages are still alive.

Even as relatives of those hostages lead protests, Mr Netanyahu continues to push for an all-or-nothing deal to release all hostages and defeat Hamas.

Read more:
Israel strikes high-rise building in Gaza City
West Bank family describe daily harassment

On Friday, Donald Trump said Washington is in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas to release the captives.

“We said let them all out, right now let them all out. And much better things will happen for them but if you don’t let them all out, it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty,” he added.

Hamas is “asking for some things that are fine”, he said, without elaborating.

Continue Reading

World

‘Don’t bite me’: Man heard screaming moments before fatal shark attack in Sydney

Published

on

By

'Don't bite me': Man heard screaming moments before fatal shark attack in Sydney

A man was heard screaming in the water moments before he died after a shark attack in Sydney, witnesses have said.

Emergency services responded to reports that a man in his 50s had suffered critical injuries at Long Reef Beach shortly after 10am (1am in the UK) on Saturday.

The man, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was brought to shore but died at the scene, authorities have said.

Two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for examination, and beaches near the area are closed as drones search for the animal.

Police are liaising with wildlife experts to determine the species of shark involved.

Pic: Sky News Australia
Image:
Pic: Sky News Australia

Surfer screamed ‘don’t bite me’

Speaking to Sky News Australia, witness Mark Morgenthal said he saw the attack and that the shark was one of the biggest he had ever seen.

“There was a guy screaming, ‘I don’t want to get bitten, I don’t want to get bitten, don’t bite me,’ and I saw the dorsal fin of the shark come up, and it was huge,” Mr Morgenthal said.

“Then I saw the tail fin come up and start kicking, and the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail fin looked to be about four metres, so it actually looked like a six-metre shark.”

Mark Morgenthal said it 'looked like a six metre shark' in the attack. Pic: Sky News Australia
Image:
Mark Morgenthal said it ‘looked like a six metre shark’ in the attack. Pic: Sky News Australia

Victim was a father and experienced surfer

New South Wales Police Superintendent John Duncan said at a press conference that the victim was 57 years old, calling the incident a “terrible tragedy”.

“The gentleman had gone out about 9.30 this morning with some of his friends, about five or six of his mates,” he added. “He’s an experienced surfer that we understand.

“Unfortunately, it would appear that a large, what we believe to be a shark, has attacked him. And as a result of that, he lost a number of limbs.

“His colleagues managed to make it back to the beach safely, and a short time later, his body was found floating in the surf, and a couple of other people went out and recovered it.”

Mr Duncan added that officers “understand he leaves behind a wife and a young daughter… and obviously tomorrow being Father’s Day is particularly critical and particularly tragic”.

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Local surfer and eyewitness Bill Sakula also told reporters at the beach: “It’s going to send shockwaves through the community.

“Everyone is going to be a little bit nervous for a while.”

Read more:
British couple killed in Lisbon funicular crash named
How relationships can be rocked by serious illness
Mandelson calls Trump a maverick ‘risk taker’

Surf Life Saving NSW has deployed a drone to search for further shark activity.

Its chief executive Steve Pearce said: “Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy.”

Shark attacks are very rare, with this incident widely thought to be the first in New South Wales this year.

The last time a person in Sydney was killed in a shark attack was in February 2022 – the city’s first fatal shark attack since 1963.

Continue Reading

World

British couple killed in Lisbon funicular crash named

Published

on

By

British couple killed in Lisbon funicular crash named

Two of the three Britons killed in the Lisbon funicular crash have been named.

Kayleigh Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44, were a couple and died alongside 14 others in Wednesday’s incident.

Ms Smith graduated from the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, where Mr Nelson ran the master’s degree in directing.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Lisbon crash: What happened?

The identity of the third British victim has not yet been confirmed.

MADS theatre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, said Ms Smith was a “valued member of our society” who will be “greatly missed”.

It said she was an award-winning director and actress, who had also done multiple crew and front-of-house roles.

Five Portuguese citizens died when the packed carriage plummeted out of control – four of them workers at a charity on the hill – but most victims were foreigners.

Police said the other fatalities were two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French citizen, one Swiss and one Ukrainian.

All but one were declared dead at the scene – and 21 others in the packed carriage were injured.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘We felt no brakes anymore’

The yellow carriages of the Gloria funicular are a big draw for tourists, as well as a proud symbol of the Portuguese capital.

The journey is just 265m (870ft) up a steep hill and takes three minutes, with two carriages travelling in opposite directions on a linked cable.

Read more:
Everything we know about the Lisbon crash

Witnesses reported seeing one of the carriages hurtle down the hill before derailing and crashing 30m from the bottom.

The aftermath shows it crumpled and twisted against the side of a building.

People who were in the bottom carriage said they were a few metres into the climb when it started going backwards.

When they saw the other car speeding towards them, many jumped through the windows to escape.

The crash happened around 6pm on Wednesday. Pic: Reuters
Image:
The crash happened around 6pm on Wednesday. Pic: Reuters

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro called the crash “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past” and authorities are under intense pressure to quickly identifying the cause.

One witness who was in the lower carriage told Sky’s Europe correspondent Alistair Bunkall that the brakes appeared to fail.

The carriage’s brakeman, Andre Marques, has also been confirmed among the dead.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘I screamed, we’re all going to die’

Officials said the streetcar, which has been running since 1914, had a half-hour visual inspection every day and underwent full maintenance last year.

The line links the downtown area near Restauradores Square with Lisbon’s Bairro Alto neighbourhood.

A preliminary technical report due on Friday has now been delayed until Saturday. Another report with a broader scope is expected within 45 days.

Three other funicular lines in Lisbon have been suspended.

Continue Reading

Trending