FIFA World Cup 2022: No cheers with beers!

The empty beer counters at the Al-Bidda fanzone during the Argentina v Saudi Arabia match yesterday. Counters opened only at 6pm local time, three hours after the final whistle. Pics/Ashwin Ferro

A lot has already been spoken and written about the availability or rather the non-availability of alcohol at the ongoing World Cup here in Qatar.

FIFA's last-minute U-turn, in particular, after suddenly cancelling the availability of alcohol at stadiums a few days back, was front-page news. However, things calmed down when it was learnt that at least at the designated fanzones, there would be beer on offer. However, that is only a partial reality, as mid-day experienced at the Al-Bidda fanzone here - the biggest in the region.

The non-alcohol beverage that looks exactly like beer

Interestingly, beer was only served at the fanzones from 6pm to 1am. So, for matches that are held earlier in the day, as in the case of the Argentina v Saudi Arabia match that kicked off at 1pm local time, spectators had to make do with Budweiser's Zero beer, a non-alcoholic beverage that looks exactly like beer. Worse still, the cost of the non-alcoholic beverage was a steep 30 Qatari Riyals (Rs 670 approximately). As has been the case here, the poor communication of the message to fans meant that most queued up for a good 20 minutes or so in sweltering heat only to learn that their beer was not actually a beer, but just a cold drink. The cost of beer is a further steep, 50QR (Rs 1120 approximately).

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One couldn't help feel sorry for the thousands of Argentine fans gathered at the fanzone here. They couldn't even drown their sorrows in alcohol after Lionel Messi & Co's shock 1-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the Group C opener. They had to wait another three hours after the final whistle to quench their thirst!