advertisement
A photograph showing a person removing the cover from a soft drink can to unveil a can of beer has gone viral linking it with the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup.
What is the claim?: The claim along with the viral image states that football fans are smuggling alcohol into the stadium by masking beer cans with soft drink labels.
How did we find that out?:
We conducted a keyword search on Google and found the image in an article in the BBC, published on 12 November 2015.
According to the report, Saudi police had stopped smugglers at the border who were trying to carry 48,000 cans of beer disguised as Pepsi.
Alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia.
The story was also reported in other publications such as Dawn, Al Arabiya, Vice etc.
What about alcohol in Qatar?:
While it's not illegal to drink alcohol in Qatar, the country banned the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums despite agreeing to it earlier.
Conclusion: An old, unrelated photograph from 2015 was shared as football fans smuggling alcohol into stadiums in Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)