The Business End Of The World Cup As Qatar Aces It Big Time

The quarterfinal stage beckons at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. New heroes’ trip to new quirky celebratory dance moves, be it a pivot turn or a step-touch with flapping hands corseted at ninety degrees, the fingers doing a rushed twiddly, or the rage of the current Brazilians the pigeon dance—the ‘Pombo’. From the dreariness of pandemic-induced sorrows, heroic nations emerge with hums of detuned dirges segueing into raucous songs of celebration laced with optimism and life. There is a riotous blend of colours as eager, chaotic fans turn themselves into a floaty, flag waving, cheering diasporic blob of their nation behind opposing goalposts.

A bright new Portugal star Goncalo Ramos serenades the flashbulbs as he replaces a grumpy Ronaldo, but the coach Fernando Santos knows it’s all about country first than pandering to queasiness of stars. Legends are made of flesh and bones, and they also throw tantrums from the sidelines. They prefer moving into ‘Goblin Mode’ too. New stars upon green fields bring footballing joy to the world in a prelude to the Christmas season.

In Marrakesh, they always knew how to party, but this time they partied like never before as their footballers trumped Spain as the much-acclaimed 'tiki-taka' amounted to nothing. A daring young talented collective perished in another episode of penalty-induced nightmares.

We had the Moroccan idol Achraf Hakimi sauntering into a section of the crowd to his mother as she leapt out to embrace him whispering a prayer to the almighty—a housekeeper and her street vendor husband delight in their son’s sporting endeavours.

It has been proven time and again that sport in whatever form it takes provides us with the much-needed catharsis from the rage of strife and calamitousness that encompasses us all. The Qatar World Cup has been no different.

Qatar has battled numerous allegations since it won the rights to host this edition of the World Cup over a decade ago, from palace intrigues to blatant offers of financial inducements to muster the needed votes.

Though none of these were validated, it is never a straight heavenly path when one has to ward off the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia who were the other host candidates in the fray. But when the final whistle blows at the Lusail Stadium, there will be questions and some more.

Questions range from was the 28-day extravaganza really worth it for Qatar, to how different has been the FIFA World Cup in a desert country from all the previous ones held so far? Well, it has been more or less the same as earlier editions, maybe even way better organised, some breathtaking football, the ecstasy of Asian and African nations giving their all to coast over legendary strong teams lent it an earthy subaltern poetic beauty, no doubt.

However, football enthusiasts who liked their game with the subliminally artistic touches and a never-ending flow found their joy disrupted with the constant pauses in play for the video assistant review, a technological intrusion raking up more than a spot kick of consternation. 

But wait, for the ever-agile array of pessimists, what they really wanted to know was something else. No, there were no camels disrupting the 90-minute playtime or swathes of desert sand that swept into the stadiums and halted games. That’s for the naysayers who cringed when the then FIFA President Sep Blatter announced one of the Gulf Cooperation Council as hosts for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in 2010.

For Qatar though, being future hosts of football’s greatest show on earth was something that would redefine the way it worked towards the goal of being a perfect host and to carve out its strategic outreach in the region as well as a global player. It has done that and more, giving a befitting reply to the former FIFA President, who had derided the nation of less than three million and a 11,651 sq km territory as a "small country" and a "bad choice" to be hosting something as huge as the quadrennial football event.

Qatar has gone on to prove that sometimes small is indeed mighty and beautiful. Moreover, powerful European countries really have no choice in the current overlay of geopolitics coupled with the Russia-Ukraine conflict that is redefining everyday governance.

As Germany exited from the Round of 16, dumped unceremoniously, Qatar has promised the European superpower approximately 2 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas a year for the next 15 years, starting in 2026.

Vainglorious pronouncements often has its way of rubbing and kicking it in one’s solar plexus, even after the referee has blown the final whistle.

It is estimated that the 22nd edition in Qatar is approximately 20 times more costly to host than the previous one in Russia in 2018. The Economist puts the figure spent by Qatar at $220 billion over a period of a decade preparing for the World Cup. This also has to be understood in the context of Qatar’s National Vision 2030, a strategy/framework to attain the country’s long-term objectives launched in October 2008.

Based on this, the country has on a rapid footing diversified its hydro-carbon economy pouring in investments straddling different sectors, especially infrastructure and tourism development.

If the adage that 'you are only as good as your neighbours' holds, then there has been spirited efforts also to weave countries of the GCC together, all of whom have good economic forecasts for the next two years.

Analysis of the whole political economy of hosting big sporting reveal that there is definitely a great mismatch between the monies spent versus its actual expected windfalls. For every country that strives to host big events, often it is not all about profit. It is about an aspiration to be counted among the best, to showcase its culture and boost its status as a strong player and a strident voice in the region.

Qatar is a major non-NATO ally that the United States looks to whenever tensions mount in a key strategic location, standing tall between neighbours—Saudi Arabia and Iran. Its adjacence to the Persian Gulf catapults the country to being a prime player for oil transport sea lanes. According to World Bank estimates, its GDP per capita of $61,276 places it in the niche league of Nordic countries like Sweden, and nearly double of neighbours Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Additionally, with the World Cup, it is boom time for all of Qatar’s neighbours, too, with positive economic uptakes as ardent fans crisscross borders camping around and driving into Doha.

In the de-globalising trend that fast envelops us and as Brazil and Argentina kick the Sialkot-manufactured hand-sewn Adidas Al Rihla football for respective glories in the quarterfinals, Qatar as hosts looks towards the world.

Anand Mathew is a social development consultant based in New Delhi. 

The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of BQ Prime or its editorial team.