Beer breakthrough for World Cup

Security will be on hand to deal with drunkeness

Football fans no longer face the prospect of dry stadiums at this year's World Cup tournament after co-hosts South Korea and Japan agreed to serve beer during matches.

Japan had wanted to ban all alcohol sales but football's ruling body, Fifa, persuaded the organisers to compromise but with strict conditions attached:

• Bars open 90 minutes before kickoff

• Sales stop at half-time

• Fans will only be able to buy one paper or light plastic cup of beer at a time

• No other alcohol allowed.

Vendors will also turn away drunken fans, said Fifa communications director Keith Cooper.

That will be one beer per person Sven

The decision was made at a two-day workshop in Tokyo to discuss security measures. The meeting was attended by delegations from all 32 finalist countries.

Fears over hooliganism have prompted restrictions at previous tournaments including alcohol bans in France in 1998 and Italy in 1990.

But Fifa is thought to have been concerned about the effect a ban on beer would have on agreements with one of the World Cup's major sponsors, the American brewer Budweiser.

"This is a satisfactory result for everyone," said Ysuhiko Endo, general secretary of the Japanese orgaising commitee, JAWOC.