November 18, 2022
The brief from today:
Alcohol U-turn in Qatar
Following the previous announcement by Qatar, and FIFA, that alcohol will be sold at stadiums during the World Cup, that position has been reversed today. The public sale of alcohol, as well as consumption of it, are both illegal in Qatar, but with the World Cup being an extraordinary occasion in the country, authorities were willing to make an exception. The initial approach was going to permit the sale of alcohol at fan zones in the city, as well as the immediate area surrounding the various stadiums before and after kickoff. The latter concession has now been withdrawn two days before the competitions kicks off. Discussions between Qatar and FIFA eventually resulted in the announcement today, which declared that “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”. Meanwhile, there will be an exception to this rule within the stadium where those in the corporate seats will still have the ability to purchase alcohol if they choose to do so. It’s a last minute change on a major issue for some fans, but considering there will still be options apart from the stadium where alcohol can be purchased, those fans can still count themselves fortunate considering the circumstances.
Stands like this surrounding the stadiums in Qatar will only be able to sell non-alcoholic beer
Saka donates for a great cause
Arsenal forward, Bukayo Saka, is preparing to represent England at the World Cup, but he has recently done some great work at the country of his heritage: Nigeria. The 21-year-old England international’s parents hail from Nigeria, and Saka has spoken of his feeling “connected” to the country despite being born and raised in London. Recently, he collaborated with charity organization, BigShoe, and arranged to provide funds for medical operations in Kano, Nigeria. The recipients of this aid will be 120 children in need of surgical interventions for inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias, and brain tumours. Saka spoke to the press in Qatar regarding his endeavors and said, “I feel blessed to be in a position where I can contribute to making the children's lives easier and better through these surgeries. For me, it is very important to use my abilities to have a positive impact where I can. I want to do more and more and help as many children as I can. If I can do anything to help then I really want to do this, it was very important to me. It makes me happy when I can see the kids happy and their parents happy.” To have such a mentality at his young age, and the wherewithal to use his resources in such a manner, is something that is truly commendable.
Arsenal striker, Bukayo Saka, has made a great effort to help kids in Nigeria