Doctors warn alcohol ‘will be the real winner’ as World Cup kicks off

A hard-hitting series in the British Medical Journal says the industry has ensured the World Cup, which kicks off tomorrow in Brazil, “will be as much a festival of alcohol as it is of football”.

It describes how the coalition Government performed a u-turn after initially refusing to relax licensing hours to allow pubs to stay open longer to fit in with games. It also details how the Brazilian authorities were persuaded to abandon a long-standing ban on alcohol in stadiums put in place to end often fatal violence between rival fans at games.

During a World Cup, the host country must waive tax on any profits made by organiser Fifa’s commercial partners, including Budweiser, the tournament’s official beer sponsor, leaving them free to walk away with all the cash they pocket and depriving Brazil of an estimated £312 million in revenue.

The president of the College of Emergency Medicine, Clifford Mann, said the relaxation of licensing laws set an “unwelcome precedent”, with the consequences of alcohol abuse seen daily in the country’s emergency departments. He claimed those with vested interests “must not be allowed to peddle the notion that sporting events are best enjoyed with alcohol”.