CULTURE CONNECT
This year ' s World Cup was, undoubtedly, a delight for football lover ' s across the world. Close matches, historic comebacks, and the victory of the underdogs over established powerhouses like Germany and Spain made this an event to remember. What made the even more memorable was the overall atmosphere surrounding the event- beautiful Russian cities and towns in the backdrop, the peaceful hospitality of the Russians, thousands of fans in stadiums chanting as one, and the revelry associated with such tournaments which was on display all throughout. The tournament was smoothly organised by a clinical Russian organising committee.
Russia ' s prowess as host nation was fully on display for the world to see. Furthermore, in a story that seems scripted for a film, the lowly ranked Russian national team made it all the way quarterfinals of the event, beating the likes of Spain on its way there. Off the field, few fans will take home memories of the oppression associated with President Vladimir Putin’ s leadership. U. S. President Donald Trump even congratulated Putin on a“ really great” tournament when the two met in Helsinki on the day after the final. Putin and Russia, perhaps, could not have asked for a better outcome.
It is no surprise that Russia was able to burnish its international standing by hosting a brilliant tournament. Hosting the World Cup is a unique opportunity for a country to gain a soft power bounce. It offers a chance for host countries to show off their culture, people, and infrastructure, and their teams become sentimental favourites, as was the case in Russia.
As host nation, after years of careful planning, you put on the biggest show on Earth. Millions of fans watch the tournament every four years, and more than a billion people watched the 2014 final between Germany and Argentina. Over a million fans and tourists visited Russia during the course of the event, giving a boost to the country ' s tourism and hospitality industries. What ' s more? It ' s big business. FIFA hauled in more than $ 5 billion for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but only the best organised hosts turn a profit for themselves. Russia is expected to reap in quite a bit of moolah from the tournament.
With Russia having been able to engineer a diplomatic coup through its status as host nation and the associated soft power victories that brought with it, it is now the turn of Qatar to try to benefit from the enduring relationship between sports and politics.
Qatar, one of the world ' s richest countries which is located in the conflict-ridden Middle East, could do with exercising some similar soft power. Presently, it is embroiled in a feud with its Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia, the U. A. E. and Bahrain over the former ' s alleged support to terror outfits in the region, which has led the latter three to sever their diplomatic relations with Qatar and impose an embargo on the country.
The three countries gave Qatari citizens only weeks to leave their territories and return to their home nation. Egypt, too, severed diplomatic relations with Qatar but did not impose restrictions on Qatari citizens within its borders. The four countries, further, closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft and made it difficult for foreign airlines to fly over their airspace to get in and out of Qatar. The feud has taken an unprecedented economic toll on the Gulf country.
Vladimir Putin holding the World Cup trophy at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Hosting the World Cup is a unique opportunity for a country to gain a soft power bounce.
When it comes to soccer, Qatar has a tainted history. For years now, the country has been investing in football as a way to increase its profile around the world. The country ' s sovereign fund was used to buy a major French football club with the Eiffel Tower as its logo( Paris Saint Germain) and, similarly, used the money to bring the world ' s most expensive player, Brazilian star Neymar, from Barcelona to its French club. What really and truly marked Qatar ' s arrival on the international football scene, however, was its awarding of the right to host the 2022 World Cup. The credibility of the same, though, remains in question after it became embroiled( along with Russia and their bid for the 2018 World Cup) in
44 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 7 • July 2018, Noida