Putin: Russia to reconsider beer ban in stadiums

Published Jan. 19, 2012 12:10 p.m. ET

foxsports

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says he'll reconsider the ban on beer at sports stadiums, as the country prepares to host the football World Cup in 2018.

Putin was questioned about the ban Thursday when he and FIFA President Sepp Blatter met with fans in St. Petersburg as part of commemorations of the 100th birthday of the Russian football federation.

When he was president, Putin in 2005 signed a law banning beer and beer advertisement at sports venues.

He told the fan who asked about lifting the ban that ''when the decision was made about stadiums, it came from the best of intentions. OK, we'll return to it again and think about it.''

Blatter noted that beer is popular among fans, saying ''beer is like a part of life. Can you imagine holding a championship in Germany without beer?''