The ban on beer and alcohol is just the first in a long and increasing list of controversies as the 2022 World Cup kicked off on November 20. Here's the latest news, from the opening ceremony and more, as FIFA says "stick to football."
Fans slam Morgan Freeman as "sellout" for taking "blood money"
Actor Morgan Freeman was the surprise face fronting the opening ceremony at this year's World Cup, and some fans started accusing the Oscar-winner as a "sellout" with "blood on his hands" for accepting Qatari cash.
Freeman, 85, narrated the opening ceremony that was titled "The Calling." He told viewers: "We all gather here in one big tribe."
The criticism comes 12 years after flubbed loved his lines attempting to help the USA win the right to host the 2022 tournament, The Daily Mail reported. In 2010, when Morgan messed up his speech, he told the crowd: "I'm sorry, I missed a page."
Controversy as 7 teams refuse to wear "OneLove" armband
The teams from seven countries: England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland said they will not wear the 'OneLove' armband that promotes diversity and inclusion because of the threat to players.
"FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play," the governing bodies for the seven countries wrote to FIFA in September but never received a response to their concerns about the OneLove armband, BBC reported.
"We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband," the statement added. "We cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked, or even forced to leave the field of play."
Ecuador fans chant "we want beer"
Ecuador fans not only cheered their team, but they chanted in Spanish, "Queremos Cerveza" – "we want beer" – loudly voicing their displeasure at the ban on beer sales at the stadiums. Front Office Sports posted a video of the chanting fans.
Ecuador defeats home team Qatar in opening game
In the opening match of the 2022 World Cup, Ecuador defeated host country Qatar 2-0. The home team struggled and was down 2-0 at the half, courtesy of two goals by Enner Valencia, CNN reported.
Iranian players opt-out of singing national anthem at World Cup
Players from Iran's national soccer team chose not to sing their country's anthem before their opening World Cup match against England on Monday in what appeared to be a show of support for protesters back home, Reuters reported. Human rights activists alleged that more than 400 anti-government protesters have been killed in Iran, and they say 16,800 others were arrested in a crackdown by security forces in recent months, BBC reported.