Stale beer and loathing in Qatar

[View this email in your browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, The World Cup has a beer conundrum. Days before it begins, Qatari authorities have ordered chief sponsor Budweiser’s tents to be shifted away from their prime spots to somewhere more discreet. Some reports suggest the demand may have [come from the royal family](. Alcohol is not strictly banned in the country but its consumption is limited to select bars and hotels. That won’t do for Fifa. Their inherent edict when allowing anyone to pick up the exorbitant bill for hosting rights is that the American pale-yellow bubbles must run freely. Qatar has had more than a decade to reconcile that reality with its customs but only now seem to have given serious thought to what inebriated mobs would mean to the societal values they are ostensibly trying to cultivate. This is another bungle that will dampen our enthusiasm for this World Cup, an event held together by blood and corruption. And to the rest of us is an annoying sideshow with no right answer. Admittedly, Budweiser at a World Cup brings back some unerasable memories. Sitting in the green Mexican mass in Peter Mokaba Stadium, I watched as Chicharito beat the offside trap by a fingernail before rounding the French keeper. Every limb in that stand lost motor function as plastic cups were hurled into the air, sending down a shower of beer. On a freezing night tipsy British fans in shorts lined the streets outside Royal Bafokeng Stadium. They drifted aimlessly through Rustenburg, many sucked into the local taverns — presumably where they tried to drink away the memory of Robert Green’s clanger against the United States earlier on. But the truth is those memories have nothing to do with Budweiser. Or any alcohol. They were created by football and its inexplicable power to turn a body of people into a collective. Fifa boss Giani Infantino may have come across as a dolt when he [suggested at the G20]( that the World Cup could be used to facilitate peace in Eastern Europe, but his core sentiment was in the right place. The outrageous circumstances around this event — the homophobia and migrant abuse — will sow an indelible rotten patch on football’s soul. But the powers of evil could never fully consume football. It is still the people’s game. Something worth remembering as the marketing execs cry over spilt Budweiser. Look out for fresh M&G coverage every day the World Cup is on. Eyaaz Matwadia has already kicked us off with [previews of every group](. Yours in solidarity, Luke Feltham Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2022 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001 South Africa [Add us to your address book]( Want to change which mails you receive from Mail & Guardian? [Update your preferences]( to tell us what you do and don't want to receive, or [unsubscribe](. *If you are a paying subscriber, we recommend updating your preferences rather than unsubscribing, as you may miss important information relating to your subscription.