Political Football

Although most eyeballs will be fixed on the actual games, when the world’s attention is turned to a stage this large, it is inevitable that geopolitical considerations will come into play. In a long tradition of sports diplomacy, the Qataris are using sport as a huge smokescreen to cover what is happening behind the scenes: billions of dollars are spent on disputes, political agreements, strategic calculations, and even military decisions.

The powerful emirate of Qatar, a tiny geographical entity whose economic power is inversely proportional to its territory, has spent lavishly on this extravaganza. According to Qatar’s finance ministry, more than $220 billion has been invested in infrastructure for the tournament. That is 15 times more than what was invested by the hosts of the last World Cup, Russia, in 2018.

The Qataris do not possess a rich soccer tradition. If they did, it might have helped distract attention from some really serious issues. This Arab country has little or no respect for individual freedoms; physical punishments are still meted out for various misdemeanors (for example, 40 to 100 lashes for drinking alcohol in certain areas); and many construction workers building the lavish facilities are toiling under conditions of semi-servitude. In fact, according to a report by London’s The Guardian newspaper, more than 6,500 builders have died working in the oppressive desert heat so the Qatari government could dazzle the world with its futuristic stadiums.

It is evident that the emirate’s petro-billions have enabled them to sponsor this event and that they intend to leverage it for many uses beyond sports. Qatar would then join a long list of nations that have hosted world tournaments to score political points.