Anger at “fun stop officials”
British government issues beer warning ahead of EM
Hundreds of thousands of British fans will travel to Germany for the European Football Championship in June. Football fans who like to travel are being warned by their government: about German beer. Of course, this doesn't just cause enthusiasm on the island.
The Foreign Office in London has warned against underestimating the beer in the host country ahead of the European Football Championship in Germany this summer. “Beer can be stronger than in the UK, so drink responsibly, know your limit and respect local laws,” said the ministry's travel and safety advice website for British fans. There was also a warning that entry to the stadium could be denied if you had drunk too much.
In some cases the warning provoked angry reactions. “At a time when there are so many serious issues facing the State Department regarding global peace, comments about German beer should be the least of their worries,” The Sun tabloid quoted Conservative MP Kevin Foster as saying. A representative of the British taxpayers' alliance TaxPayers' Alliance told the paper: “Brits enjoying a beer in Berlin don't need lessons from fun-stopping officials.”
According to the organization Drinkaware, beers consumed at home in the UK have an average alcohol content of 4.6 percent. According to the German Brewers' Association, the two most popular types of German beer, Pils and Helles, have an alcohol content of between 4.5 and 5 percent. According to British media reports, up to 800,000 fans from Great Britain are expected to attend the tournament from June 14 to July 14 this year. At the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, no beer was allowed to be sold around the stadiums.
