The FIFA World Cup will be the biggest sporting event of the year and the largest sports marketing exercise since the last World Cup.

We will, each day through the tournament, look to cover the stories of what is happening off the field of play for our Sport for Business readers.

BEER BAN IN STADIA

Beer is only allowed to be sold in Qatar in bars attached to hotels so as to limit its presence to those visiting the country.

With Budweiser as a major FIFA sponsor, the restrictions were relaxed for some, though not all of the Fan Zones in Doha.

The indications, and one can only assume the basis of Budweisers ongoing participation was that it would also be available to the 1.3 million visiting fans at least in the stadia for the games.

48 hours out from the opening ceremony that has been deemed not to be the case. Unless you are in the corporate hospitality section.

For a tournament that was hoping to edge toward the start of the football without any other reasons for Western fans, authorities, and Governments to throw rocks at their local rules, laws, and cultural sensitivities, this is something of an own goal.

“You can’t drink beer in the stadia unless you are wealthy.”

FIFA is normally the strongest in any arm wrestle with local governments, requesting and getting law changes by virtue of the leverage it has in bringing the world’s biggest sporting tournament to town.

Qatar may be small in size but this is a big statement that it stands its ground.

TODAY’S SPONSOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT – HISENSE

Hisense became an official sponsor of World Cup 2022 in April of last year.

The Chinese brand is expanding into the world with 40 percent of its revenue last year coming from overseas. It is involved in the manufacturing of white goods including TV’s like in their World Cup ad below.

It is also into broadband, medical devices, and more. It is the leading light in China’s independent IP development, putting the company to the fore of the country’s transition from a manufacturer of others’ ideas to creators of their own. Watching them is important in watching China’s changing nature with the world.

BABY TALK

Nathan Ake will play in his first World Cup for the Netherlands in the coming weeks. The Manchester City defender planned out his departure in greater detail than many with his wife expecting their first child.

He wanted to be at the birth and meet his daughter before leaving for the middle east and so his wife had the birth induced.

Who said that nature should get in the way of an elite sportsperson’s wishes?

Anyway, all is well in the AKE household. Mother and baby are both doing well.

HIGH SCORING

There are always some mismatches in World Cup Finals, though Germany against Brazil in Rio was not expected to be one. That 7-1 thrashing was not the biggest win at a finals though, not even in the top three.

Yugoslavia beat Zaire 9-0 in 1974 but the masters in this are Hungary who beat South Korea 9-0 in 1954 and then defeated El Salvador by 10-1 in 1982.

Could that be under threat this time around?