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