Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday promised to consider lifting the current ban on the sale and advertisement of beer at football stadiums in Russia, which will host the World Cup championship in 2018.
“What do you think about bringing beer back to stadiums?" Putin was asked at a meeting with football fans. "It would not necessarily trigger a wave of alcohol abuse and mayhem in the bleachers,” one fan said, adding that “they sell beer at stadiums in Europe and elsewhere.”
Russia will be hosting the World Cup for the first time in 2018, and for Putin, who is widely expected to return to the presidency in March elections, putting on a show to remember is a matter of personal pride.
Under Russian law, beer sales are prohibited at stadiums and banners advertising beer are not allowed on football pitches. However, brewers are major sponsors of FIFA, the World Cup's governing body.
“One should know his norm: once he's drunk three liters it’s time to calm down and stop,” Putin said.
Alcohol abuse is a major problem in Russia, where more than half of all deaths among people aged 15 to 54 are caused by alcohol, according to the international medical journal The Lancet.
