World Cup 2022 - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers. Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:26:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://i0.wp.com/thebeerthrillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-The-Beer-Thrillers-December-2022-Logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 World Cup 2022 - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com 32 32 187558884 Book Review: Pulisic – My Journey So Far (Christian Pulisic) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/03/01/book-review-pulisic-my-journey-so-far-christian-pulisic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=book-review-pulisic-my-journey-so-far-christian-pulisic Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:06:28 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=11156 Mark Pulisic And the Harrisburg Heat
My Mark Pulisic jersey hanging in my office (pictured with the Pulisic Pilsner by Jackass Brewery)

(Before we can get into Christian Pulisic, we first need to start with his dad – Mark Pulisic, and the Harrisburg Heat.)

Growing up as a huge soccer fan in Central PA (in Hummelstown, PA) and being an avid player myself, and loving the indoor game especially, meant I grew up being a huge fan of the Harrisburg Heat.

My parents were both ushers at all of the home games – my dad’s section was 12 and my mom’s was 13 (the handicap ramp). Which meant I was there at every home game, and also meant, I got to meet a lot of the players when they were injured.

I also went to the Harrisburg Heat soccer camps every summer, so I got to meet many more players that way as well. My first year, when I was six years old, I got to meet Mark Pulisic, Bob Lilley, and Jim Pollihan. And I like to say that I’ve made life long friends with all three. All three are wonderful men. (We sadly lost Jim Pollihan just a bit ago.)

I can’t count the number of players we invited to our house over the years for supper, lunch, and just to hang out. Players like Mark, Bob, Scott Henderson, Todd Hoffard, John Kluba, Brian Chandler, David Bascome, Kumba, Mik, Chris Marinos, Mike Williams, and so many more that I can’t even remember.

My mother – a teacher in the Lower Dauphin School System – helped Mark Pulisic’s wife (and mother of Christian Pulisic) Kelley – get the paperwork and necessary filings done to be able to get her first teaching job. I can still remember being hoisted up on Mark’s shoulders at a summer camp because of hitting a bicycle kick in our “World Cup” game.

Over the years I got to meet Christian a few times as a kid, as well as Chase, and DeeDee (his half – brother and sister). I only got to meet Christian once after he started playing internationally.

Harrisburg Heat

A quick recap of the Harrisburg Heat for those who don’t know, straight from Wikipedia:

The Harrisburg Heat were an American professional indoor soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team was part of the National Professional Soccer League, which later became the Major Indoor Soccer League, and has been defunct since 2003.

Harrisburg Heat (1991 – 2003) – Wikipedia Page

The Harrisburg Heat would later be re-established in 2012 and are currently still in operation as of 2023. (Harrisburg Heat 2012 – Wikipedia Page.)

The Harrisburg Heat were first formed during the 1991–92 season by Dr. Rex Herbert, following the folding of the Hershey Impact, another NPSL team for which Herbert was the team physician. Along with other investors, Herbert produced the fiscal and economic backdrop to support the team.

The Heat went through several seasons when they were among the most financially sound teams in the league. However, their only trip to the league finals was during the 1994–95 season, when the Heat took on the St. Louis Ambush, also now defunct. The Heat were swept in four games, losing 19–9, 18–8, 12–7 and 14–11.

The last few years of the team’s existence saw declining attendance numbers, partly due to the State Farm Show Complex’s construction project that restricted parking and also charged a fee for parking. Also, a portion of the team’s ownership passed from Herbert to Rodney Rumberger, a Harrisburg-area businessman. Many of the team’s popular players also had retired or signed with other teams. The team ceased operations following the 2002–03 season. Despite several attempts to put together a new ownership group, the Heat did not return the next season.[1]

On May 2, 2012, it was announced that an expansion team named after the Harrisburg Heat will join the Professional Arena Soccer League in the fall, owned by the league.[2][3] Longtime Heat broadcaster John Wilsbach took over as owner of the team from 2013 to 2016 and then sold it to Carl Delmont. The team is currently a member of the Major Arena Soccer League, a rebranding of the PASL.

The original Heat’s home arena was in the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.

Harrisburg Heat (1991 – 2003) – Wikipedia Page

Mark Pulisic

(We have this card signed in my dad’s “sports display case” at his house.) (This card is also featured in the book.)

Quick recap of Mark Pulisic from Wikipedia:

Mark Pulisic (born September 20, 1968) is an American soccer former footballer and coach who is currently the assistant manager of Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the USL Championship.

…

In 1991, Pulisic turned professional with the Harrisburg Heat of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). He remained with the Heat throughout his career, retiring from playing professionally in 1999. When he retired, the Heat honored him with a Mark Pulisic Night at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was then inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame, joining Bob Lilley, Richard Chinapoo, and Todd Smith.

…

In 1993, Lebanon Valley College hired Pulisic to begin a new chapter of the men’s soccer program, where he coached until 2005. In 1996, Pulisic began coaching a new women’s team program at the school as well. While with Lebanon Valley College, Pulisic also served as an assistant coach for the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL in 2003 and 2004.

On April 19, 2006, the expansion Detroit Ignition of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) hired Pulisic as the team’s first coach. In April 2007, he was named the MISL Coach of the Year. On November 6, 2007, former Heat teammate Bob Lilley replaced Pulisic as head coach of the Ignition, moving Pulisic to the front office as director of soccer operations.

Pulisic relocated to Germany in 2015 after his son Christian was signed by Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, and was hired as a coach for Dortmund’s U10 academy team.[3] In early 2017, Pulisic returned to the United States, joining second division club Rochester Rhinos as an assistant coach under his former teammate and colleague Bob Lilley.

Mark Pulisic – Wikipedia (bio, Harrisburg Heat, and Coaching subheadings)

With how integral Mark is to his son’s (Christian’s) life, I feel its necessary to mention and discuss him here. (Plus I enjoy giving a good bit of backstory on the Pulisics and my childhood).

I think it wouldn’t do justice to Christian or his book to not discuss Mark, as it provides the background and context for his life and his book.

Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Again, before jumping into the book, let’s discuss the person first. As most people who are likely reading this review know, Christian Pulisic is a major star soccer / futbol player for the US Men’s National Team, as well as currently for Chelsea.

Wikipedia does a good quick summary:

Christian Mate Pulisic (/ˈmɑːteɪ pəˈlɪsɪk, ˈpʊlɪʃɪtʃ/;[7] Croatian: Pulišić,[8] pronounced [krǐstijan mǎːte pǔliʃitɕ];[9][10][11] born September 18, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the United States national team.[12] Nicknamed “Captain America” by fans and other players, Pulisic is renowned for his world-class dribbling abilities and explosive speed.[13][14]

Pulisic began his professional career at German club Borussia Dortmund, where he progressed quickly through the team’s youth academy, featuring in only 15 youth games. He was then promoted to the senior team in 2016, at age 17.[15] He featured sparingly in his first season at the club, though became the youngest foreigner to score in the Bundesliga at the age of 17.[16] His involvement increased dramatically in the following season, where he was a mainstay in the Dortmund team that won the 2016–17 DFB-Pokal.[17] In 2018, he finished second in the inaugural Kopa Trophy, given to the best player under age 21.

In January 2019, Pulisic moved to Chelsea in a transfer worth $73 million (£57.6 million), making him the most expensive North American player of all time, and began playing for the club in the 2019–20 season.[18] At 21, he became the youngest Chelsea player to score a hat-trick[19] and the 31st player to record a perfect hat-trick in Premier League history.[20] With Chelsea he won the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, 2021 UEFA Super Cup and 2021 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the youngest Chelsea player and first American to score in the Champions League semi-finals and the first American to play in the Champions League final.[21][22]

Pulisic played for the United States at under-15 and under-17 levels, before making his senior national team debut in March 2016 at age 17. He is the youngest player ever to captain the United States national team in the modern era.[23] He helped the U.S. to the final of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and won the inaugural 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League. Individually, he has won a U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year award and three U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year awards. He has been called the “face” of American soccer.[24]

…

Pulisic was born in Hershey, Pennsylvania,[25] where he spent the majority of his childhood. His parents, Kelley and Mark Pulisic, both played collegiate soccer at George Mason University and his father also played professional indoor soccer for the Harrisburg Heat in the 1990s and later became a coach at both youth and professional levels.[26] Growing up, his soccer idol was Luís Figo.[27]

While his mother was on a teacher exchange in England through the Fulbright Program, Pulisic lived for a year in Tackley, Oxfordshire.[4] At age seven, he began playing for the youth team of Brackley Town.[4] When his father was general manager of indoor club Detroit Ignition in the mid-2000s, Pulisic lived in Michigan and played for Michigan Rush. While in Michigan, he attended Workman Elementary School.[28]

Christian Pulisic – Wikipedia Page (Main Bio and Early Life subheadings)

Now that we all have a better understanding of Christian, and the Pulisic family, lets tackle the book.

Book Review: Pulisic – My Journey So Far

Pulisic: My Journey So Far by Christian Pulisic

As per GoodReads – the back blurb:

America’s first true European soccer champion and the captain of the U.S. men’s national team relates his journey from Hershey, Pennsylvania, to the pinnacle of world soccer.

Pulisic’s rise from his childhood in Pennsylvania to captain of the U.S. national team in the coming World Cup and Champions League glory is ultimately a story about a lifelong determination to realize a dream. Growing up in an area without role models, Pulisic would look to European stars for inspiration and to European soccer as his ultimate goal.

In this book Pulisic talks candidly about his journey so far, revealing the extraordinary excitement of fulfilling some of his goals and the great challenges involved. He also shares experiences from behind the scenes playing for club and country, his most memorable career moments, moving to a new country without knowing the language, training drills he’s used over the years to hone his skills, and his daily life as a soccer player.

Photographs from his family albums and some of the world’s best sports photographers document Pulisic’s path from his first visit to Chelsea at age seven to signing for the club for a record transfer fee when he turned twenty to his defense of the Champions League title and preparation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Featuring dressing-room anecdotes and heartwarming stories, this fascinating look into the world of a quiet American boy turned soccer star is the real-life story of every aspiring young American soccer player’s dream and the perfect book for anyone with a passion for the beautiful game.

Pulisic: My Journey So Far (GoodReads)

(Details – 240 pages, hardcover, published October 11 2022.)

This was a fun, relatively quick read, despite its large formatted size. Its done via interviews with Christian throughout a few years, mainly over COVID. The book details his life growing up from Hershey, as well as his travels, trials, and tribulations from the various club teams.

The book comes packed with photographs, many taken by Kelley (Christian’s mom) herself. These help immerse the reader into his life, into his interviews, and gives you a perspective of Christian almost from birth.

As a local, and a big fan of the Harrisburg Heat growing up, it was neat to see some of the pictures that looked all too familiar. (Like the picture of his dad holding him in DeeDee in his Harrisburg Heat uniform after his final game; the jersey of which is hanging in my office.) Or pictures of him playing soccer at Keller Fields (a local park where I also played many of my earliest games at). As well as pictures of Lebanon Valley College where Mark and Kelley both coached, and where Mark had his own soccer camps at – which my sister and I attended. (Fun fact – my parents both graduated from Lebanon Valley College.)

The book also does a good job discussing the minutia of his life. Not just his on field achievements and losses, not just his soccer actions, but also things about his mental health, what he does in his free time (like playing chess, etc), his discussions about his father, his mother, his family, and mental preparations for the games. It was interesting to see him discuss the little things of life as a high level player / celebrity and what all that entails. Like locker room music, pre game work outs, post game cool downs, what he does the nights before a game, the day of games, etc.

It details his personal life, which can be summed up pretty well by Wiki:

Both the anglicized pronunciation (IPA: /pəˈlɪsɪk/) and the original Croatian pronunciation (IPA: /ˈpʊlɪʃɪtʃ/) have been used by commentators, and Pulisic confirmed that either form is acceptable.[112]

Pulisic’s paternal grandfather, Mate Pulišić, was born in Croatia on the island of Olib.[113] Pulisic obtained Croatian citizenship after moving to Germany in order to avoid applying for a German work visa, which is required to work in the country without a European Union passport.[92] Pulisic has a cousin, Will Pulisic, who plays for USL League One club North Carolina FC on loan from Austin FC.[114]

Pulisic is Catholic.[115][116] He often posts Bible verses on his social media accounts.[117][118]

Outside of soccer, Pulisic is a fan of the New York Jets, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia 76ers.[119] He enjoys playing chess.[120] Pulisic is a fan of the Ford Mustang and imported a left-hand drive Shelby GT500 to England from the United States in 2021.[121][122]

Due to his status of frequently captaining the United States and his high level of play, he has been given the nickname “Captain America” by fans and other players.[123] He has also been nicknamed “The LeBron James of Soccer” due to a clip from the television show Pawn Stars, which has since become a meme.[124]

On October 11, 2022, he released an autobiography titled Pulisic: My Journey So Far. The book chronicles his journey into the soccer world.[125] In the book, he also revealed that he suffered with depression while he was injured in 2020 and during times that he did not get much playing time.[30]

Christian Pulisic – Personal Life (Wikipedia)

He also does a wonderful job of breaking down the games he played. The big moments, what he was thinking, feeling, anticipating, trying to do during key plays and key moments of the big games that he either won or lost in.

The book does a tremendous job of covering his life to this point, which with how young he is, the interview style for this book works very well. Once he’s older, and retired, and either coaching, or done playing, it would be interesting to get a true autobiography at that point. But for his age now, and with the amount of time he still has left to play, this interview style for the book works well.

I would highly recommend this to any fan of Christian Pulisic, of American soccer, of Chelsea, or even a futbol / soccer fan in general. Or if you are a native of Hershey or Central PA, its fun to look into the life of a local celebrity as well.

My GoodReads Rating: ****
My LibraryThing Rating: ****.5
Global GoodReads Average Rating: 4.30 (as of 3.1.23)

Pulisic Pilsner

Pulisic Pilsner by Jackass Brewery

To tie this all back in with being a beer blog (that dabbles in book and hike reviews), let me bring up my beer review of Pulisic Pilsner by Jackass Brewery.

Jackass Brewery is a brewery located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and in honor of Christian Pulisic and the World Cup they produced “Pulisic Pilsner”. It was a very tasty pilsner that hit the spot while watching them play in the World Cup. Make sure to check out my review below to find out more about it:

Book Reviews

Interested in more book reviews? Then check these out:

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Lord of the Rings:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

Thanks for checking this out everyone. I got a ton of book reviews to get through, trying to get them posted as soon as I read them, but with all of the other articles, they get kinda pushed down the ‘to write’ pile.

I do hope you enjoy the book reviews though.

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

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We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

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]]> 11156 Breweries Opening Early For the USA vs Netherlands World Cup Game https://thebeerthrillers.com/2022/12/02/breweries-opening-early-for-the-usa-vs-netherlands-world-cup-game/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breweries-opening-early-for-the-usa-vs-netherlands-world-cup-game Fri, 02 Dec 2022 13:16:52 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=9965
USA vs. Netherlands – December 3rd, 2022 – at 10:00 AM (EST)

The World Cup Game

The US has advanced to the Knockout Stage and made it to the Round of 16 with Christian Pulisic’s amazing goal against Iran. And you want to watch it in your favorite way – at breweries, with a delicious craft beer in hand, cheering it on with all of your friends, families, and early morning drunk strangers – right?

Well you are certainly in luck! There is a ton of great breweries opening early just for the game! In the Central PA area we alone have several (Boneshire Brew Works, The Englewood Brewery, Tattered Flag Brewery, Rubber Soul Brewing, etc.). In the areas we travel regularly for breweries (we being The Beer Thrillers; Ben, Amy, Josh, Drew, etc.) there is over a hundred different breweries that will be opened. So we are going to help you out and provide a list for you! We’ll break it down to mainly just Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware (with a few Virginia breweries we’ve been to as well). This list is probably far from complete, and if you are a brewery you can certainly message us and get your name added.

The list will be divided up by state, and then after that alphabetically. I’ll include the town location, a Facebook link or equivalent (Instagram, Untappd, what have you), and a starting time for the brewery. Like I said above, if you don’t see your brewery on the list, by all means go ahead and message us to get added!

Breweries Opening Early For the USA vs Netherlands World Cup Game

USA vs. Netherlands – Where to Watch it Live

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Maryland

Delaware

Virginia

Root Them On!

Be sure to get out there, loud, early, and drink up! The team is going to need all the support they can get! Despite his pelvic contusion, Christian Pulisic is still going to be playing. The USMNT has a tough road in the World Cup. If they (WHEN THEY) get through the Netherlands, they’ll face the winner of Argentina vs. Australia (most likely Argentina) in the round of 8.

See Also

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

Thanks For Reading

As always everyone, thanks so much for reading! Hope you get out to a great brewery to enjoy the game. It should be a good game! Amy, and I will be watching with little Scarlet Emma, her mom SueAnn, and her uncle Bob.

Lets Go USA!

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

]]> 9965 Qatar Bans Alcohol Sales at World Cup in Last Second Decision https://thebeerthrillers.com/2022/11/18/qatar-bans-alcohol-sales-at-world-cup-in-last-second-decision/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=qatar-bans-alcohol-sales-at-world-cup-in-last-second-decision Fri, 18 Nov 2022 15:40:16 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=9918
World Cup 2022 in Qatar

The World Cup

The 2022 World Cup is just about on us (kick off for the first game will be the hosts Qatar facing Ecuador). Hosts Qatar will open the tournament with a Group A match against Ecuador on Sunday 20th November at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT/UTC) (or 7:00PM local and 4:00PM EST) in Doha at Al Bayt Stadium.

This is the USMNT’s (United States Men’s National Team) first appearance back in the World Cup after missing the last one (2018) in Russia. Christian Pulisic (Jackass Brewery Announces Pulisic Pilsner – See Article Here) is leading the charge for the men’s team. Local boy to The Beer Thrillers (from Hershey, PA), who we’ve met several times (we were very good friends with his father Mark Pulisic from the Harrisburg Heat, as well as his mother Kelly Pulisic, who my mother actually helped get the paperwork for her to become a teacher) is the biggest asset and piece for the USMNT going into this World Cup.

Interestingly enough, Christian Pulisic has just started commercials ahead of the World Cup promoting Michelob Ultra.

But… seems like there won’t be any Michelob Ultra – or any beer – at the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar Bans Alcohol Sales

As Washington Post just stated in an article twenty minutes ago:

Qatar isn’t a dry country, but the government curtails alcohol sales at almost all restaurants that aren’t associated with a high-end hotel or resort. World Cup organizers had said tourists will be able to drink in designated fan zones within stadiums, but reversed those plans two days before the first game.

Qatar’s Controversial $300 Billion World Cup Is Almost Here: Q&A

Qatar’s Controversial $300 Billion World Cup Is Almost Here: Q&A

As per Sky News:

The sale of alcohol is strictly controlled in Qatar, and is only allowed in the Muslim nation within hotel bars and restaurants away from street view. It had to relax its alcohol restrictions to allow FIFA sponsor Budweiser to sell its products outside match venues and fan zones.

Qatar World Cup: Beer to be banned from all stadiums – except for corporate spectators

There is a bit of a misconception that Qatar is a full dry country. But as these articles stated, its not exactly a dry country, but a very governmental strict ‘banning’ or ‘restrictive’ dryness. Qatar is a constitutional monarchy headed by Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani. The 2005 constitution provides for hereditary rule by the emir’s male branch of the al-Thani family.

So I think you can somewhat read between the lines on the form of government on that.

Leading up to the World Cup there was lots of talk about alcohol and if beer and liquor would be served at the World Cup games. Almost flip flopping articles were coming out from The New York Times, Washington Post, ESPN, The BBC, Reuters, etc; discussing if they were or weren’t going to be allowing beer and alcohol sales.

The different World Cup Stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Ahead of the tournament itself, in some of the friendlies, Budweiser was served at small, remote locations on the stadium’s venues. But it appears, that just two days ahead of the World Cup itself they’ve reversed their decision and are now banning the beer.

World Cup organisers have banned the sale of alcohol around stadiums in Qatar after last-minute showdown talks, FIFA announced on Friday.

First reported by British newspaper The Times, FIFA and Qatari organisers were engaged in late negotiations over whether beer would be sold at the stadiums during the tournament, which begins on Sunday.

ESPN: Qatar bans alcohol at World Cup stadiums in late reversal

ESPN has picked up the article mainly stemming from the British newspaper The Times. Stating that main negotiations are between Budweiser through FIFA and with the Qatar government.

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 the sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters.”

While supporters can purchase alcohol at the official fan zones during the competition, the sale of beer at the matches themselves has been a controversial topic.

It appeared an agreement was originally struck to allow FIFA to permit sponsors Budweiser to sell beer at the stadiums. This was then further clarified in the buildup to the tournament after The New York Times first reported that the beer tents would be less visible at the grounds on request of the hosts.

But it emerged there was late pressure on FIFA to halt sales of alcohol at the stadiums themselves, two days before hosts Qatar kick off the tournament on Sunday against Ecuador.

“There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums,” FIFA added.

“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 organisers appreciate AB InBev’s understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”

ESPN: Qatar bans alcohol at World Cup stadiums in late reversal

Just a few minutes ago, Budweiser (through AB InBev) tweeted the following:

Well, this is awkward…— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 18, 2022

This tweet has since been deleted.

Qatar Hosting Controversies

To say Qatar is a controversial FIFA World Cup host is… well.. an understatement in the minimum. Allegations of bribery, scandals, work arounds, and all kinds of corruption and lies to get the tournament to Qatar have surfaced. One of their initial pitches in 2009 / 2010 were “clouds”. These were supposed to be floating platforms that would hang above the stadiums, similar to drones but on a massive scale, and would push cold air down onto the players and fans, and expel the hot air upwards. Obviously, this technology has never come to fruition.

The selection of Qatar to host this year’s FIFA World Cup brought cheers to the streets of Doha in a celebration of the first edition of the tournament to be held in the Arab world.

But the choice, made in 2010, also sparked instant criticism – over the logistics of holding a sporting event in a country where summertime temperatures regularly top 100 degrees; over allegations of bribery and corruption among FIFA officials who voted for Qatar; and over concerns about human rights abuses that have persisted in the years since.

Now, with the World Cup days away, the Gulf country is expecting the arrival of more than a million fans. And billions more will tune in to watch the tournament’s 64 games. Yet the controversies have not subsided.

Recently, even the former head of FIFA called the selection of Qatar a mistake.

“It was a bad choice. And I was responsible for that as president at the time,” said Sepp Blatter, whose term as FIFA administrator ended in 2015 amid a bribery scandal.

Why Qatar is a controversial host for the World Cup

Two More Days

2022 World Cup Stadium – Qatar

We are just two more days to the kick off of one of the biggest and fun events that only happens every four years. As a soccer fan I love the World Cup, the history, the games, etc. I remember watching the 1998 tournament and being so engrossed when it was held here in America. And I am eagerly anticipating the 2026 World Cup in North America. Hopefully will get to a game (can’t wait to see how ridiculous the prices will be).

Here’s to hoping that the United States Men’s Team gets it all together and gets a good push and run going. We are in Group B with Wales, England, and Iran. England should be the hardest competition in the group to us. Hopefully we can win out of the group, but second in the group should be at least attainable.

Further Information

In Other News

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November

Its still November (obviously) and that means I’m still doing the 30 for 30. So be sure to check back here, and check out the other November articles. Lots of interesting stuff, from Yards Brewing Paying Up on their Wager, to Beer Reviews, to a Hike Review, to the birth of our daughter Scarlet Emma, to brewery news, World Cup news (like this article), Pour Man’s Brewing Moving Their Tap Room, brewfest events like Auto and Ales, Brewsgiving, and Burley Oak’s Controlled Chaos, etc. Thank you for all reading!

Thanks For Reading

Thanks for reading everyone! Things have certainly been a bit hectic here at The Beer Thrillers Headquarters. Spent from 11.09.22 til 11.16.22 in the hospital with getting Scarlet Emma born. …Oh yea, did I mention we had a kid? Thats kinda big news huh? Scarlet Emma was born at 5:52PM on 11.11.22 (Kurt Vonnegut’s 100th Birthday). November is usually a busy month anyway, with Autos and Ales, with Thanksgiving, with me doing my version of NaNoWriMo; where I try and write an article a day for the entire month. So its a very busy month here at The Beer Thrillers, especially now with the introduction of a new baby into our lives. But what a great addition! Wouldn’t change that for anything.

I do want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to congratulate us on Facebook, Instagram, etc. It means a lot!

And I of course, want to say thank you to everyone who has read any of our articles, commented, liked, shared, subscribed, followed, etc. It means so much to us here at The Beer Thrillers!

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Thanks for reading everyone!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

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FIFA World Cup – Qatar 2022 Logo
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