Qatar and the FIFA World Cup
In 2010, Qatar defeated several countries to become the first Arab nation to win the bid to organise the FIFA World Cup 2022. It is an opportunity that allows Qatar to move beyond the shadow of its Gulf neighbours, mainly Saudi Arabia and UAE, as it tries to place itself in the international forum.
As an oil-rich nation, 40 per cent of Qatar's GDP relies on oil and gas revenue. However, as all the Gulf countries are pushing for economic diversification, the FIFA world cup is a significant opportunity for the current Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to attract the spotlight. It was a vision developed by the then Qatar's Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani who won the bid to organise the FIFA World Cup 2022 in 2010.
Qatar has spent some $200 billion on developing the stadiums and infrastructure crucial to hosting the five-week-long World Cup. Further, around $300 billion were upgraded roadways, among many others, to attract tourists and boost the tourism industry. Also, approximately 1.7 million visitors are expected to visit the country. It is expected to add $17 billion to its economy. It is a massive moment as the current tourism industry contributes 6-7 per cent to the economy and the country intends to double to 12 per cent by 2030.
It is not just Qatar but the entire Middle East that is expected to see an increased footfall of visitors during the World Cup. For instance, 90 flights are scheduled to enter Doha each day, and 40 will leave from Dubai, allowing visitors to return to Dubai the same day. Besides that, Saudi Arabia and Oman have also organised several infrastructures to accommodate the World Cup visitors. Bahrain is expected to increase hotel occupancy in Bahrain by 9%, Kuwait by around 24%, and Jordan will be 33% busier.
However, despite several investments and the massive amount splurged in the country, Qatar has turned heads for different reasons.
To begin with, accommodation in Qatar is causing several issues. As a small country with around 1.2 million population, there is worry about the logistical problems of dealing with the sudden influx of visitors. Also, despite no restriction on alcohol, Qatar still needs to be considered tourist friendly by people. Thus, they are inclined to live in Dubai during the World Cup and travel to Qatar for the matches.
Apart from that, there are other concerns related to human rights for which Qatar is drawing international criticism. As per reports, around 6,500 migrant workers have died since Qatar was awarded the right to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Apart from human rights violations, the LGBTQ community's concerns are rising. The authorities have clarified that showing public affection is illegal and can lead to several criminal charges. These concerns have increased as Qatar has refused to guarantee to protect the LGBTQ community.
To add to these issues are the concerns of corruption in the FIFA World Cup. As per a USA official, the representatives working for Russia and Qatar had bribed FIFA officials to secure hosting rights for the World Cup in men's soccer. The accusations were a part of a year-long investigation into corruption allegations that led to numerous arrests.
Apart from these allegations, another issue concerns how Qatar will live up to its commitment to a 'carbon neutral' World Cup claim when it has air-conditioned eight stadiums that will host the matches.
The final nail in the coffin is the reports that Qatar is paying fans for their accommodation and travel expenses to visit the country to attend the World Cup and remain there for a minimum of 14 days, where they are supposed to see scheduled events. This way, they expect these fans to be the country's ambassadors to the world.
All of these allegations and criticism and possible mismanagement of the FIFA World Cup led to a statement by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani where he claimed that the allegations were fabricated and driven by campaigns that raised eyebrows on the true intentions of organising the FIFA World Cup.
All these matters come at a time when Qatar is trying to create a reputation on the global stage. In 2017, Qatar was boycotted by Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt after allegations that Qatar was supporting Islamist groups in the region and having warm ties with Iran. That caused a significant fallout in terms of its image at the international level. For a long time, Qatar has been preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and trying to revolutionise the tourism industry. This world event was supposed to attract millions of visitors to the country. Those visitors were expected to become 'ambassadors' and 'influencers' who would also attract investment in other sectors.
But now these criticisms have taken the positive aspect of the FIFA World Cup. The event will eventually continue, and there is no doubt about that. However, the event's goal was to attract tourists, create a positive image and make Qatar a prominent name for a financial hub. Until now, Dubai was synonymous with these words. It is now synonymous with the terms' violation of LGBTQ rights,' 'human rights violation', 'death of migrant workers, and 'paid money to FIFA officials to win the bid.' Now, Qatar is busy with damage control instead of attracting a positive impression.
Hence, this opportunity is viewed to improve its standing politically and economically. Controversies such as these have a significant impact. For the time being, it is believed that the effect will remain for the short term. However, all these issues will have a long-lasting impact as these factors will be scrutinised in future while making major investment decisions in Qatar by investors and individuals alike.