FIFA have banned fans from bringing water bottles into World Cup venues with them this summer, despite many of the games being expected to be played in sweltering heat.
Previously, the World Cup organisers had said that fans could bring an empty, transparent, reusable bottle up of up to a litre’s capacity into the ground with them.
But an update published by FIFA on Wednesday walked back on that, specifically prohibiting fans from bringing bottles in with them – despite many North American stadiums being equipped with water fountains specifically so fans can fill them up as required.
Watching the World Cup will be thirsty work
The move has been widely condemned given the weather conditions that are expected at this summer’s tournament.
FIFA claims that the decision has been made on safety grounds, out of fear that fans might chuck full bottles of water around the stands or onto the pitch…despite fans being able to bring water bottles into lots the same venues at last summer’s Club World Cup.
Call us cynical, but…well, one might suggest it’s a ploy to sell more merchandise and concessions at grounds?
We know that from experience. It was a similar deal at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, where bottles were confiscated upon entry.
Water fountains were available, but unless you’re going to stick your face right in there like you’re from Pawnee, you need a cup or bottle to contain the famously non-portable liquid.
And wouldn’t you just know it! For a few Euros more than it reasonably should have cost, you could get a FIFA and Coca-Cola co-branded collectible cup.
And so it is that we still have two of them in our kitchen cupboard, schlepped home all the way from Grenoble.
But hey, let’s be fair to FIFA!
It’s not like there’s any alternative, like simply specifying a much more harmless 500ml bottle and getting fans to remove the caps, like basically every venue everywhere does.
This is just the latest example of fans being bilked at the World Cup following the ticket prices that have left thousands of seats unfilled less than a week before the tournament is due to kick off, and the cost of using public transport in some host cities.
There would be an obvious ecological case to be made for the ban, if not for the fact that venues will be selling pristine new plastic bottles of water at their venues.
