Degtyarev appreciated the idea of bringing beer back to stadiums

The return of beer to stadiums is possible both from a legal and economic point of view, but this issue does not relate directly to the Ministry of Sports. This was announced to Izvestia on June 4 by Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Legally, this (the return of beer to stadiums — Editor's note) is possible. <...> The [2018 FIFA World Cup], in my opinion, showed how much it is possible to provide a festive atmosphere in the stands and with beer," Degtyarev said.

According to the minister, the discussion about the sale of beer at sports facilities is periodically intensified among deputies. He recalled that in 2018 he was a member of the organizing committee of the FIFA World Cup in Russia and headed the committee responsible for legislative support of the tournament.

"I am not opposed to some light alcoholic drinks in the stands for two reasons. The first is that it has already been tested, there have been no incidents. And the second is income," Degtyarev said.

According to the minister, now some fans still buy beer before matches, but the money remains at the outlets near the stadiums, and not at the sports infrastructure. He suggested that it would be more logical to direct such funds to the maintenance of the arenas themselves.

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On March 2, State Duma deputy Irina Rodnina commented on the blocking by the Ministry of Health of the adoption of a law on the sale of beer at sports stadiums. She stated that despite the European practice of selling weak alcohol at stadiums, the situation in Russia is different. Rodnina said that football ceases to be a family sport if someone under the influence of alcohol can "not cope with emotions" at the stadium.

On March 28, representatives of the Russian Ministry of Health blocked the adoption of a bill on the potential return of beer to stadiums. Dmitry Svishchev, first deputy chairman of the Committee on Physical Culture and Sports of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, clarified that drinking beer is likely to remain in history, as this, according to representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, "alcoholizes" society.