Brazil overturns alcohol ban with new World Cup law

Brazil congress

By David Gold

December 7 – Brazil has drafted a new 2014 World Cup Law, which overturns a ban on alcohol being sold and consumed at sports venues.

Brazilian Parliamentary news agency Agencia Camara reported that the new law was proposed and presented on Tuesday, and it comes amid pressure from FIFA over agreements made between world football’s governing body and the country’s former President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, when Brazil was originally awarded the right to host the tournament.

FIFA is keen to protect the commercial interests of its sponsors, which includes Budweiser.

Jérôme Valcke, the FIFA general secretary, met with Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff in October to discuss some of the issues in a previous World Cup law presented to the country’s congress.

The new draft law allows 300,000 tickets to be sold at half price to pensioners, students and the disabled, a concession from FIFA.

A vote which will decide whether to pass the draft legislation to Brazil’s Lower House of Congress will be taken next week, which means that if successful, it could be most of the way towards becoming law by the end of the calendar year.

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