If you love your bottle and are planning a trip to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup, then I have bad news for your pocket. Football fans will have to cough up nearly Ksh 1500 for a bottle of beer. This despite pre-tournament promises by organizers to keep prices modest. There will also be a limit of four drinks per order amid fears that some supporters could binge drink.Actually, according to latest reports, Qatar authorities are planning a total ban on alcohol sales to fans during the period.Alcohol is usually restricted in Qatar, a conservative Muslim country, with the few hotel bars allowed typically charging about Ksh 2000 for a beer or glass of wine. ##NAJAVA_MECA_6824777##It had been indicated by Nasser al-Khater, the Chief Executive Officer of the 2022 World Cup, that prices for beer in the fan zones and at stadiums would be much lower for fans, with others indicating it would be about Ksh 960 per bottle.However it has emerged that a 500ml glass of Budweiser, the only official beer of the World Cup, will cost Ksh 1500. Budweiser has stated that fans, who must prove they are older than 21 to buy alcohol, will be limited to a “maximum purchase of four Budweiser units per person”. Supporters are also being told: “Drink wiser, cheer better, hydrate between Buds.”In a sign that there may have been discussions with FIFA and the Qatari government before the final pricing policy was reached, the company added in its statement: “Budweiser is proud to be served in compliance with the local rules and regulations by FIFA’s appointed concessionaire.” World Cup Pulse: What are the scribes saying?On Sunday it emerged that Budweiser had been told to move its beer stations to less visible sites outside stadiums, with the New York Times reporting that the order came from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the brother of Qatar’s ruler.
