The in-person World Cup fans who were hoping that beer goggles would help them avoid an unobstructed view of Qatar’s bribes, corruption, human rights abuses, unfinished infrastructure, and blazing heat, just got some bad news. In a last minute reversal, Qatar has banned alcohol at World Cup stadiums. The world will have to participate in sports-washing without being able to wash it down with a few coldies. In addition to fans, this will disappoint Anheuser-Busch, makers of Bud, the official beer of the now beerless games. Fans will still be able to hydrate with the non-alcoholic Bud Zero, because every beer aficionado knows that drinking Bud is all about the taste.

+ Soccer-mad Germans turning their backs on World Cup. (And that was before the beer news.) “Anyone walking around Berlin this week will struggle to notice any signs of World Cup fervor. There are no flags, no signs, no public viewing events – no indication that the soccer-mad country’s bid for a fifth world title is about to begin with a game against Japan on Tuesday. Qatar’s human rights record and treatment of migrant workers have spoiled the party for many.”

+ “The luxury hotel set to host soccer’s most senior leaders wasn’t quite ready when they began arriving, the latest in a series of last-second tweaks to Qatar’s well-laid plans.” NYT: An Unlikely Group Scrambles for World Cup Rooms: FIFA’s Elite. (Don’t worry. These guys know how to land on their feet while getting a foot massage.)