It shouldn’t have been surprising to see the cabal that is Fifa’s executive committee complete its secretive stitch-up this week to decide the hosts of the world cup 2018 and 2022 but the result still hurt. In a fit of indignant pique I went off to study the Russia and Qatar bid books.
The Qatar decision interested me most. How can a tiny country of 1.7 million host 2.8 million visitors over the course of the month? A few salient points popped out:
· The entire area in which the games will take place will be in a 60km radius, with 10 of the 12 stadia in a 25km radius.
· Average temperatures during the day won’t fall below 37c and can get up to 45c.
· The Qatari government has guaranteed it will pay for the costs of new hotel building to cover projected visitor numbers but the bid book notes these will mostly be in the 4 star category.
· The average room rate for a Qatari 3 star hotel is between $328 and $275.
· The Qataris plan to spend US$24bn on a combined transport infrastructure including a high speed Qatar-Bahrain rail link of 350km/hr
I was in South Africa this year for the world cup. It was one of the best experiences of my life but it cost, it cost a lot. I don’t regret it but it’s fair to say that because of the cost of travel the majority of English fans we met were middle aged and above average income.
Fifa states repeatedly in both bid books that its long-term strategy is to balance income from markets internationally but that Europe is where the majority of their revenue is generated. They note in the book that the visitor numbers will be lower because of the lack of attractions and activities away from the games. The projected numbers of 2.8 million are about 300,000 less than in Russia or South Africa.
I can’t see a country like Qatar being able, even in 10 years, to address the fact that there isn’t really a huge amount to do. Everything you do there needs to be air-conditioned, especially in June, July and August. So outdoor activities like dune-buggying, sun bathing etc. will be severely curtailed if not impossible. In addition, with such a huge concentration of visitors in such a small space it’s likely that anything you can do will be booked up or well beyond the wallet of the ordinary spectator.
But that’s what this is about, isn’t it? This will be the ultimate corporate football event. Everything will no doubt be luxurious and I am sure organised spectacularly: the Qataris will crack air conditioned stadia even if they haven’t yet and they’ve got the money to make the tournament work like clockwork. No doubt their prawn sandwiches will be delicious, too.
But if you’re an ordinary fan from anywhere in the world this will be well out of your league. And why would you want to go when it will be an endless merry-go-round of hotel-game-hotel? None of the building excitement of the fans converging on foot to the ground: you’ll be bussed in (for free) direct to the FIFA Fan Fest (TM) to enjoy the sponsors’ overpriced food and drink, safe from the harm of ambush marketing (which is an obsession of the bid books).
None of the chances to meet local, ordinary people and explore a nation’s history and sights as I just did in South Africa, how can you do that when there’s, in all honesty, not that much to see?
A trip that is likely to cost in excess of $10,000 dollars based on room costs, flight costs and food costs for staying the whole month (and that's without tickets which are usually $140+) Well out of the reach of normal people.
With their obsession with being able to provide space for Fifa executives, media centres and rooms for VIPs and ensure enough corporate hospitality and not a word in the bid book about the high cost and lack of activities for the many spectators around the world for whom football is so important, it’s hard to conclude this is now anything other than a tournament organised by the super wealthy, voted for by the super wealthy, and with nobody in mind but the most wealthy spectators. A great shame for the game.
Ps. I realise PzU might have gone a bit football slanted recently so I promise I'll be back onto my usual award winning observations of life in Poland sooner rather than later.
Update: having read this post, Elton John felt immediately moved to comment to the Independent that holding the World Cup in Qatar was, "an absolute joke."
Update: having read this post, Elton John felt immediately moved to comment to the Independent that holding the World Cup in Qatar was, "an absolute joke."
I won't go into too much detail, as I think the topic has been almost argued to death on discussion forums I've seen, but the simple answer for England not getting it, and it going to Russia and Qatar was that they 'politicked' it, and England didn't.
ReplyDeleteIt seemed fairly common knowledge that votes were 'for sale' whether that meant in exchange for votes elsewhere, or favours or so on, and the English just didn't play the politics game strong enough.
Russia got it's heavy hitters to play international politics to win, and Qatar played FIFA politics. The Asian football chief, Bin Hammam is from Qatar and supposedly he was going to challenge Blatter for the FIFA presidency. I think Blatter was worried Bin Hammam would actually win, and he 'bought' him off with the awarding of the World Cup instead.
So, that's my perspective at least. Maybe I don't have so much of an insight on it, but from all I heard and read, the decision not to vote English was all calculated and in my mind came across more like a parliamentary vote than a sports decision. Those voting lined up behind those who would give them something in return so they could return to their 'constituencies' and claim success as a result of having voted in a certain way.
Interesting about Bin Hamman, I hadn't heard that, but I agree with you about the politicking: we brought our heavy hitters in to play but by then I presume all the backroom chatter had lead in one direction and it was too late. I do understand the general rationale for taking the game to new markets but why have a bid process involving European countries if that's the intention?
ReplyDeleteAh....Fifa...
I seem to recall Lord Triesman saying that the Russians had 'bought the vote already' for which he was promptly sacked. Looks like they had it wrapped up like an alan Shearer penalty way before Triesman made those remarks!!
ReplyDeleteAye you're right there Mr Collins... talk about the emperor with no clothes!
ReplyDelete