A dozen years and a raft of controversy later, one of the most expensive marketing campaigns in history will culminate with the tiny Gulf state hosting the final.
| When Qatar was drawn out of the envelope as a future host of the World Cup in 2010, it was doubtful the majority of football fans would have been able to find it on a map.
After a month when more than 700,000 fans descended on Doha, Qatar will go back to being relatively empty. The fans have already started to return home, and so, too, will vast numbers of migrant workers.Real estate agents are concerned apartments will remain unfinished, while hotels will have a glut of unoccupied rooms, and some stadiums will never be used again.
“However, if the whole purpose was to showcase Qatar to the world, in that sense I think there have been some less reputation-enhancing aspects. It’s been a very expensive ad campaign, and I’m not sure it’s been an especially successful one.”There’s no doubt Qatar made progress on workers rights after scrutiny from activists. A month before the tournament kicked off on November 20, the ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said some criticism was useful for the country’s development.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics were seen as the archetypal sporting success story, bringing much-needed infrastructure and tourism to the then-struggling Spanish city. As the hype faded, criticism over cost overruns and the exaggeration of social benefits grew. “It’s great to be able to see all the different cultures and people, and it’s much more family friendly,” said Jason Daley, an American, who has attended every World Cup since 2006 and runs social media accounts that provide fan information about the tournament.
“Some of those critics now admit that the Qatar World Cup has been the safest, most family friendly and accessible World Cup yet for supporters.”
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