(TDB) - UEFA has lifted an alcohol ban that had been in place at all Champions League and Europa League matches, meaning that fans will be able to buy alcohol at stadiums from next season.
At an executive committee meeting last month, the governing body amended its rules meaning that alcohol will now be permitted at match venues where local and national laws allow.
Previously, UEFA had forbidden the sale of any alcoholic drinks inside stadiums prior to and during Champions League and Europa League games.
Article 36 of its Safety and Security Regulations has been changed to read: “The match organiser may only sell or distribute alcohol within the stadium or its private environs … within the limits permitted under the national and local law as applicable from time to time.”
Fans will now be able to buy alcohol at stadiums and drink in the stands throughout the majority of European matches. However at matches in England, fans will only be allowed to consume alcohol in the wider stadium, not the stands.
Ronan Evain, chief executive of the Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which has long been arguing against the ban, has welcomed the change.