‘We want beer’, protest Ecuadorians, and Qatar fans leave stadium before the end

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Uniformed in purple shirts, like half of the flag of Qatar, a group of supporters of the Middle Eastern nation concentrated in a block behind the goal defended in the first half by Saad Al Sheeb, distinguished themselves from the other fans of the host country at the Al Bayt.

They were the only ones who spent a good part of this Sunday’s (20th) match against Ecuador singing and screaming. The others, the vast majority made up of men, followed the opening of the World Cup seated.

After the break, the difference between them was even more evident. While those in uniform continued with the same attitude as in the initial stage, many of those present in the other sectors of the arena did not even return to follow the rest of the match.

Worse, over the course of the final 45 minutes, many of those who had returned began to leave. Before the whistle that ended the game, several flashes were visible in the stadium.

Excited about the victory, the Ecuadorians were the last to leave the stands at Al Bayt, located in the city of Al Khor.

In addition to encouraging the country’s team and, at various times, trying to reproduce a Copa Libertadores atmosphere, the South Americans also complained about the lack of beer.

“We want beer!” they shouted.

On Friday (18), two days before the opening of the World Cup, FIFA announced that the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in stadiums would no longer be allowed. The decision was taken by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which organizes the tournament.

One of the main sponsors of the World Cup is Budweiser, which would sell beer within the perimeter of the eight arenas, three hours before and one hour after each game.

Since the announcement of Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup, the topic of alcohol has been a problem. In the country, dealing alcohol is not a crime, but being found drunk or drinking is, and the government does its best to make consumption difficult.

Many fans were surprised by the new determination as soon as they landed in the host country of the World Cup.

In the stands of Al Bayt, Ecuadorians echoed their dissatisfaction.

The foreign crowd was heard precisely in a country harshly accused by human rights groups of not having treated with dignity the migrants who worked on the infrastructure works for the nation to host the World Cup.

The atmosphere around the stadium was also different from the party that South Americans are used to. There was a certain silence among the fans, who showed little of the excitement that could be expected from people who are going to watch the opening of a World Cup.

Outside, you could hear more traffic noise towards the site. A traffic jam formed in the surroundings, as feared by the Qatari government. Many ended up missing part of the opening or the whole party, which started about an hour and a half before the match.

Football has no tradition among Qataris. The vast majority have camel racing as their favorite sport. This Sunday, when they left the stadium before the end of the game, that was even clearer.

The population did not mind that Qatar became the first host of a Cup defeated on its debut. According to FIFA, this had never happened in the previous 21 editions of the tournament.

Since 1970, the owners of the house also did not go unnoticed at the premiere. The last time was with Mexico, who drew 0-0 with the Soviet Union.

Such statistics do not seem to worry the Qataris, who reproduced in the stadium what was already seen in the streets of the country in the days before the opening of the tournament.

With no tradition in football, much less in World Cups, there was no party in Qatar.

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