STORY: Shortly before the start of the soccer World Cup in Qatar, the authorities of the emirate decided to ban beer sales outlets from the area surrounding the World Cup stadium. The world governing body FIFA announced this on Friday. The sale of alcoholic beverages should be limited to the fan festival and licensed venues. “We don’t mind,” said this fan of the German national team. “We’re not here to shoot ourselves down, we’re here for the football. It would be nicer to have a beer during the game, but we’ll certainly get a glass before and after.” “You have to respect our culture. Alcohol is forbidden in Islam, so you can’t just drink in front of Muslim people.” Unlike in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the consumption of alcohol in Qatar is not entirely banned, but it is only permitted to a very limited extent. Visitors are not allowed to bring alcohol into Qatar, even from the airport’s duty-free area. Budweiser has announced it will continue to sell alcoholic beer at the big FIFA Fan Fest in central Doha, an insider says. The price: the equivalent of around 13.50 for half a litre. Meanwhile, the President of the German Football Association, Bern Neuendorf, has commented on Gianni Infantino’s upcoming re-election as President of FIFA. He justified the DFB’s decision not to support Infantino with irritation at the burn triggered by a series of World Cup-related issues. “Especially after Gianni Infantino wrote the week before last that the issue of human rights should no longer play a role, that we should now concentrate on football here. That irritated us to some extent, disturbed us too. And now we had to do this Send a signal that we won’t make these nominations.” FIFA’s ban on a slogan on the jerseys of the Danish national team also contributed to this irritation. “I think that with a slogan like ‘Human Rights For All’ we are not talking about a political decision that you can make one way or another, but this is about human rights. And human rights are universal and binding around the world. And I don’t think that’s a political statement in the traditional sense, we should all be able to rally behind it.” Neuendorf also criticized FIFA’s silence on the protests in Iran and on initiatives by the Iranian soccer team. “The Iranian football team has also made a point. I think that’s well known. They have carried out various actions to make it clear that they are distancing themselves from the regime. I think that’s a good sign. And FIFA has not yet taken a position on this. It’s a similar case to how I now think that people say: Okay, they took a stand on Denmark, but not on Iran. I actually think it’s important here in the consideration that you don’t just Denmark bans the jersey, but also positions itself towards Iran. That’s part of it for me.” The award of the World Cup to Qatar has been criticized for human rights violations in the emirate. The World Cup kicks off on November 20 with the hosts’ game against Ecuador