Alcohol puts Brunei out of Tiger Cup

Alcohol puts Brunei out of Tiger Cup

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Brunei's national soccer squad pulled out of the Tiger Cup, Southeast Asia's premier tournament, because a Singapore brewery is sponsoring the event, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The oil-rich Muslim sultanate has been embroiled in controversy for months over whether to send a team to the third Tiger Cup championship, in Thailand on Nov. 4-18, the Borneo Bulletin daily said.

The newspaper said that religious authorities in Brunei issued a ruling in 1998 which "clearly prohibits Muslims from participating in soccer matches at home and abroad" which are sponsored by alcohol producers. Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol.