Qatar bans alcohol from soccer World Cup stadiums

Around 48 hours before the soccer World Cup kicks off, FIFA officials made the shocking announcement Friday that Qatar is banning alcohol sales from its

Around 48 hours before the soccer World Cup kicks off, FIFA officials made the shocking announcement Friday that Qatar is banning alcohol sales from its stadium perimeters.

The sport's troubled international governing body said in a tweet that the decision had been made "following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA."

It is a remarkable, eleventh-hour policy change for the wealthy Gulf kingdom, which has had 12 years to organize the world's second-largest sporting event, after the Olympics.

This World Cup is already mired in controversy over Qatar's human rights record, its oppression of the LGBTQ+ community and its poor treatment of migrant workers, who built the tournament venues. And this highlights another flashpoint: between this notoriously boozy sport and the conservative, Muslim country hosting it.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/qatar-bans-alcohol-soccer-world-cup-stadiums-rcna57828

---