FIFA Orders Brazil To Overturn Ban On Selling Beer At World Cup Matches
from the I-am-the-law dept
One of the recurrent themes on Techdirt is the sense of entitlement the owners of various kinds of monopolies display, and their common belief that being able to maximize the profit from those monopolies trumps any other consideration.
For example, FIFA, the world governing body for soccer/football, uses its monopoly on organizing the World Cup to demand some rather extraordinary privileges. Here are just some of the things the UK government was prepared to accept as part of its bid to host the 2018 World Cup:
The U.K. said it would meet FIFA’s requirements to create a 2-kilometer perimeter around stadiums, and said the right to conduct commercial activities there was subject to the approval of FIFA or its appointees. The government also agreed to suspend some labor laws that affected FIFA’s activities and to lift restrictions on the import and export of foreign currency.
FIFA is currently trying to assert similar rights in Brazil, where the 2014 World Cup will be held:
Fifa General Secretary Jerome Valcke said the right to sell beer must be enshrined in a World Cup law the Brazilian Congress is considering.
FIFA evidently believes that keeping its sponsors happy (Budweiser is a "big Fifa sponsor" according to the article quoted above) is much more important than local laws or people's health. Valke explains:
Alcoholic drinks are currently banned at Brazilian stadiums and the country's health minister has urged Congress to maintain the ban in the new law."Alcoholic drinks are part of the Fifa World Cup, so we're going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that's something we won't negotiate," he said.
"A bit arrogant"? Surely not...
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Filed Under: beer, brazil, fifa, rights, world cup
Companies: fifa
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So is hooliganism, surely the two cannot be related?
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Re: Soccer Hooliganism
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Clash of the Moronic Titans
Either outcome in this strange battle will just support one bad idea or the other. How do you choose the lesser of two stupids?
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Re: Clash of the Moronic Titans
This is simply a story of FIFA telling Brazil to change their local laws since FIFA doesn't like it, and saying that Brazil must change their laws and it is non negotiable.
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Re: Re: Clash of the Moronic Titans
And it is equally as stupid as many US "dry towns" where alcohol is prohibited.
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Re: Clash of the Moronic Titans
If the norm in Brazil is that drinking alcohol at football matches causes a specific danger then it is perfectly sensible to prevent the drinking of alcohol at football matches so that that specific danger does not occur.
There is no need, if there is not a generally dangerous cultural reaction to alcohol in Brazil, to ban the general consumption of alcohol.
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Re: Re: Clash of the Moronic Titans
I wish their official hold their standard and don't allow internation events to trample the law.
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Re: Clash of the Moronic Titans
Nothing is situational, everything is absolute
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Re: Clash of the Moronic Titans
What's moronic is that there has to be a law to keep people from acting like assholes, or are you defending drunken hooligans?
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"World Cup law"?
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ACTA in Poland
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Really, too many people look at sport figures as if their idols worth worshiping, just look at the outrageous amount of attention/worship Joe PA is getting in his death, despite being fired just a month or two before for not reporting sexual abuse to the police.
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Re:
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Just out of curiosity
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Re: Just out of curiosity
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Re: Just out of curiosity
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Football and Beer
And of course regarding American football well we need beer so we don't ask ourselves the obvious questions like "Why is it called football if no one uses their feet?"
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These countries have a CHOICE in the matter, they can choose not to host the World Cup. It's always their choice - no one is forcing them to host the events. Also, it's not just about keeping their sponsors happy, but also about keeping their fans happy.
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Re:
http://hooligansblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/q5_a1_1.jpg
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How do they screen for hosts?
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Re: How do they screen for hosts?
This ^ if it was a requirement it should have been in negitiations from the get go. Poor planning on FIFA's part is not an issue brazil should have to deal with now.
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Stay hooliganing, my friends!
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on the other hand
While yes, i think the demands over alcohol are ridiculous and typical of the entitled, the concessions made by the UK seem quite a bit shadier. That's just my first take anyway.
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It'll get even better...
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Compromise
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The USA set the example!
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In this case FIFA is right -- but for the wrong reasons.
Techdirt, you disappoint me for failing to observe the obvious.
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Re:
By those standards, the US is still under Prohibition.
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Beer Riots
My opinion on this has little to do with IP law, but if you intend to host a huge sporting event, and people all over most of the world like to have a beer when they watch, then you might consider not being self righteous about the morality surrounding drinking a few beers while watching soccer while inviting said people to play in your country.
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Really
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