Balancing the Benefits and Challenges of Hosting the FIFA World Cup

Executive summary

The FIFA World Cup is a global event that attracts attention from all over the world regardless of the hosting country. While its generous economic contribution would be something to celebrate, various health, social and environmental disadvantages are also to be prepared for. Similarly, while the prevailing conditions and distinctive qualities of the destination shape official motivations and produce many opportunities, they also produce challenges that are associated with implementing ambitious plans and, by extension, achieving ambitious objectives. While its generous economic contribution would be something to celebrate, various health, social and environmental disadvantages are also to be prepared for. Healthwise, hosting a FIFA World Cup can lead to the increased spread of communicable diseases as well as the increased spread of sexually transmitted diseases. However, the healthcare resources or investments made in readiness for the tournament can be of great benefits to the host country in the long term. Socially, hosting FIFA World Cup can create social cohesion (globally) and unity of purpose (locally). However, it can also lead to increased crime rates. Environmentally, hosting FIFA World Cup can lead to the development of environmental conservation policies and procedures that remain useful in the long term.

Introduction

The soccer World Cup is an international game that attracts many people globally and has one of the largest audiences watching the games both online and in-person (Muller & Gaffney, 2018). According to Soliev (2018), the World Cup is an international football competition that is contested by men’s national teams from countries that are members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. The tournament has been held after every four years since its inception in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 during the Second World War (Gursoy et al, 2017). Such sports activities act as a significant tourism resource with the power to attract large numbers of visitors and promote the destination thereby justifying social and economic investment and diversification (Swart et al, 2018). Furthermore, as per Nicolau & Sharma (2018), the hosting country benefits from national branding and improved foreign relations, especially for countries seeking to better their engagement with the international community. However, as per Elgahani & Furlan (2018), successful bidding of the FIFA world cup does not guarantee success as many undesirable outcomes come with hosting the event. While the prevailing conditions and distinctive qualities of the destination shape official motivations and produce many opportunities, they also produce challenges that are associated with implementing ambitious plans and, by extension, achieving ambitious objectives.

This essay gives insights into the impacts of hosting the FIFA world cup from three perspectives namely: the health care impacts, social impacts, and environmental impacts.

Analysis

This section takes on the topic to evaluate the various impacts of hosting FIFA world cup. Under the health impacts, the essay will explore impacts related to public health risks, health and safety, and health and exercises. On environmental impacts, the essay will dwell on carbon footprints and pollution, and regeneration opportunities. Finally, on social impacts, the essay will dwell on various intangible benefits including social cohesion.

Health impacts

Hosting FIFA world cup presents significant health impacts to local employees working on various projects in readiness for the events, especially in the sense of poor working conditions. One of the most significant health impacts of hosting the FIFA World Cup that has lately emerged is the poor state of health conditions among immigrant workers assisting in the preparation for the upcoming 2022 games in Qatar. According to ElGahani & Furlan (2018), the foreign workers are not spared from Qatar’s upsurge in COVID-19, especially considering how they face inflexible working conditions imposed by the Qatar authorities regarding the infrastructure development linked to the forthcoming event.

Despite calls by the international community and the World Health Organization (WHO) for basic social distancing and quarantine procedures to prevent further spread of COVID-19, reports by Redondo (2020) indicate that the foreign workers have continued to be excluded, being forced to work without even the slightest health measures, while living in overcrowded camps, thus being exposed to greater risk of COVID-19. Reports by Redondo (2020) also reveal that amid this harsh scenario, migrant workers are allegedly threatened with deportation if they report their experiences, and therefore they choose to remain silent. As such, Redondo (2020) reveals that the number of immigrant workers might be higher than acknowledged by the Qatari authorities because many of the workers do not report their conditions.

Another health impact of hosting the FIFA World Cup is disease transmission. Several pieces of evidences point to FIFA world cup games as an agent of great significant disease transmission, especially the sexually transmitted diseases. For instance, according to Bird & Donaldson (2009), mass gathering events like FIFA World Cup bring together large populations from different parts of the world as well as an increased potential for the spread of sexually transmitted infections as a result of high-risk and unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse. Such as the concern during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, as health stakeholders expressed worries that commercial sex workers in the country would face increased vulnerability in the context of South Africa’s HIV pandemic (Della, 2016). The concern was especially amplified by the criminalization of commercial sex work and the patriarchal context within which South African commercial sex workers operated.

Concerns were also raised over the difficulties of sex workers to negotiate safe sex. According to Ghanotakis et al (2009), sex workers fear violent reactions from their clients if they insist on the use of condoms, while other clients pay more for sex without a condom (McVeigh & Kwinika, 2009). As per Bird & Donaldson (2009), others also threaten to hire only sex workers who do not expect the use of condoms. With the intense competition for clients, the sex worker’s bargaining power is weakened, leading to frequent unsafe sex.

Also, within the context of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the country experienced the risk of increased spread of other communicable diseases such as the winter influenza epidemic, which occurred during the time of the year when the World Cup was hosted (Blumberg et al, 2010). As per Muller & Gaffney (2018), the 2009 South African influenza epidemic was characterized by a biphasic peak following the introduction of the H1N1 virus which dominated and took over from H3N2 (influenza A) epidemic (Archer et al, 2009). Whereas its transmission through outdoor or open stadia was expected to be low, influenza outbreaks had been reported among outdoor gatherings and thus transmitted to the general public during the games were expected to be high (Muller & Gaffney, 2018).

Apart from the negative impacts, some scholars have also speculated positive impacts of FIFA World Cup hosting on the health of the general population. For instance, Swart et al (2018) wrote that infrastructural developments; not only stadiums or facilities but also housing and transport may have a positive influence on public health. Improved highway safety may reduce road accidents while improved housing has well-known health benefits (Nicolau & Sharma, 2019). Similarly, ElGahani & Furlan (2018) argued that improved infrastructural developments attributable to FIFA World Cup would lead to increased public confidence in their well-being. Local clinical facilities created in Russia during the 2018 tournament are now part of innovative health and well-being centers that now host general medical practice (Biscaia et al 2017). furthermore, the mobile medical facilities or units used during the Russia World Cup games remain important medical resources within the country’s health system.

Social impacts

From a global perspective, the FIFA World Cup serves as a platform for developing social cohesion by bringing the world together and capturing the attention of millions of spectators around the world. According to Thomaz et al (2017), FIFA World Cup serves as a mechanism for developing and maintaining social ties between nations and thus enhancing cross-cultural interaction and international understanding. Considering the modern social challenges such as racism, religious conflicts and wars, FIFA World Cup promotes global brotherhood that is important for cohesive human co-existence. For example, this is demonstrated by the fact that the World Cup is watched by at least 26 million people globally (Khong, 2010), and this social harmony is necessary for such an event that has a dynamic audience to be successful. Clark (2008) also argued that hosting FIFA World Cup helps to create a sense of pride and unity among the local population, as they unite together knowing that they are working towards a common purpose as a country.

The other social impact of the FIFA World Cup is its ability to promote the culture and publicity of the hosting country. Considering that such an event requires so much involvement of the local population Hahm et al, (2020), it presents a good platform for publicity and for the local population to showcase their culture, and for the visitors to appreciate that culture. But McGowan (2020) argued that publicity presents in two perspectives – negative and positive publicity. For example, before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the persistent street protests and worrying delays of infrastructural developments (in preparation for the tournament) attracted unprecedented levels of negative publicity (Vico et al, 2019). The massive protests erupted all over major Brazilian cities as middle-class Brazilians protested over poor transport, education and health services, even as the country prepared for the FIFA World Cup (Domareski et al, 2019). As per Hummel (2018), such events bring negative attention to the host nation.

But hosting such a large event contributes to an increased rate of crime. Schallhorn (2019) argued that during such large events, wealthy tourists get into the country and this provides an easier target for thieves and other people involved in crime to engage in criminal acts. Similarly, the threat of terrorist attack cannot be overlooked. For example, as per Soliev (2018), the 2018 Russia World Cup was marred with the threat of terrorist attacks as the event occurred when Russian fighters had launched campaigns against Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Middle East, all of who had demonstrated their capability to attack Russia.

Environmental impacts

It is undeniable that hosting an event as big as FIFA World Cup would have negative and positive environmental impacts. For instance, Van Reeth & Osokin (2020) argued that the authorities would be required to develop policies and procedures to ensure that environmental resources are effectively utilized in the best manner possible and to protect the exploitation of natural resources. In this regard, as per Schallhorn (2019), these policies and procedures would not only be useful in the short term but also in the long-term; long after the tournament. For example, during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the government developed a program known as the Green Goal Program to address the issue of environmental pollution and exploitation.

On the negative side, the rapid building activities would lead to environmental pollution, while the rapid movement of vehicles would cause pollution through exhaust fumes (Graeff et al, 2020). According to Elgahani & Furlan (2018), another environmental issue of concern would be water misuse. For example, the large groups of populations the tournament attracts may create a significant impact on the water resource if they fail to adopt responsible use of water (Meurer & Lins, 2018). Moreover, Peric (2018) strongly believe that an event as big as FIFA World Cup is characterised by increased waste production. For instance, the South Africa 2010 Report estimated that during the 2014 FIFA world Cup in South Africa, the total amount of carbon footprint attributable to international travels were 1,164,647 (Tco2e) while those attributable to stadium construction and other forms of constructions were 13, 217 (Tco2e). The waste and resultant carbon footprint should be effectively managed because otherwise, it might cause pollution and disease outbreak (Al-Emadi et al 2017).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the FIFA World Cup is a global event that attracts attention from all over the world regardless of the hosting country. The events attract many fans with millions of people watching globally. However, the event requires considerable investment to host successfully. If any country intends to bid for the event, it must be prepared for various negative and positive impacts. While its generous economic contribution would be something to celebrate, various health, social and environmental disadvantages are also to be prepared for. Healthwise, hosting a FIFA World Cup can lead to the increased spread of communicable diseases as well as the increased spread of sexually transmitted diseases. However, the healthcare resources or investments made in readiness for the tournament can be of great benefits to the host country in the long term. Socially, hosting FIFA World Cup can create social cohesion (globally) and unity of purpose (locally). However, it can also lead to increased crime rates. Environmentally, hosting FIFA World Cup can lead to the development of environmental conservation policies and procedures that remain useful in the long term. However, it can also lead to poor utilization of natural resources such as water, increased waste products and increased energy consumption.

Recommendations

To be most effective, the host country, together with FIFA, should take a community responsibility approach to sports organization, whereby matching FIFA’s missions to the local society’s needs. There needs to be a cultural understanding and integration of various aspects of the tournament, bearing in mind that sports can be an important tool for spreading tolerance and understanding through the introduction of inter-cultural exchanges. As such, effective communication strategies should be adapted for the audience, advising all stakeholders to be sensitive and consider the transcultural impacts of their actions. Because the standards and expectations vary by host, the organizers must ensure that every aspect of the event is tailored to the needs and expectations of local stakeholders, or the event will be a failure (Al-Emadi et al 2017).

To promote the health and well-being of stakeholders, the host country and the organizers should identify opportunities for collaborations and partnerships, developing specific programs that target to create and disseminate health messages such as avoiding drugs, respecting females, getting vaccinated and drinking clean water. The organizers should also focus on creating community impacts by holding events in disadvantaged cities or locations that have the potential to rise, thereby promoting equality both at local and global levels (Graeff et al, 2020).

The third recommendation is that the host country, in collaboration with FIFA, should focus on the sustainability of the event by investing in environmentally friendly facilities, supporting the locals through charitable initiatives and promoting environmental conservation through awareness campaigns that focus on responsible use of energy and natural resources. These programs would help to offset the tournament’s effects on the environment and help to reduce carbon emissions (Domareski et al, 2019).

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