Major grocery chain Rewe has scrapped its advertising campaign with the German Football Association after soccer’s global governing body cracked down on players wearing ‘OneLove’ armbands in support of diversity at the Qatar World Cup. Here’s what you need to know.
The move by Rewe, one of Germany’s biggest supermarket chains with group-wide sales of 76.5 billion euros, makes it the first sponsor to take action after FIFA threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing the multi-coloured armband at the World Cup. “We stand up for diversity – and football is also diversity. We live this position and we defend it,” said Rewe Group chief executive Lionel Souque. “FIFA’s scandalous attitude is absolutely unacceptable.”
World Cup 2022 News: Germany Loses Major Sponsor Due To Armband Issue
Separately, Deutsche Telekom on Tuesday said it planned to talk with the German Football Association about the armbands controversy. English media, meanwhile, are reporting that drinks maker and England sponsor Lucozade has pulled all its branding from the World Cup in a snub to Qatar.
In separate news, Qatar has also banned the sale of beer at the World Cup. It is understood Qatar, as hosts, are concerned about the impact of alcohol sales on fans for whom drinking is not part of the culture – not just Qataris but people from other parts of the Middle East and Asia more widely.
Supporters will still be able to consume alcohol in designated fan zones, but the incident throws into question the degree to which FIFA has control over the tournament. It will have an unhappy sponsor on its hands in Budweiser.
The brewing company is reported to pay FIFA $75m every four years to be one of its top-level partners, and it will be interesting to see what impact this has on the commercial deal. The company tweeted from its main account on Friday: “Well, this is awkward” – a post which was then deleted.
FIFA said in a statement: “Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters. There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero, which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums.
Host country authorities and FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans. The tournament organizers appreciate AB InBev’s understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
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