The 2018 FIFA World Cup has not only sent football fans into a frenzy but also instilled a general buzz among the public. Russia outmatched a bid from England, joint proposals from Belgium and Holland, Spain and Portugal respectively, to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Several criticisms have been made, whether Russia is fit to host the World Cup. However, this isn’t an unusual occurrence. Earlier, cases have been made against most host countries e.g.: in 1978 Argentina faced backlash due to a military coup, 2014 Brazil encountered opprobrium for financial mismanagement and lack of preparedness.
The bone of contention for this year’s FIFA comprises of foreign football fans facing hooliganism, racism, nationalism, homophobia and sexism to name a few. A deeper enquiry into the above issues highlights a grave problem.
Yaya Toure, a player of the Manchester City football club, in a press conference threatened to boycott the World Cup on account of racist slurs made by Russian fans during matches. The LGBT community faces stark discrimination in the Russian society, with several life-threatening imperils made against any individual attending the game.
Several military causes are a worrisome issue. Russia’s involvement in destabilising eastern Ukraine, by taking over their territory in Crimea or the direct military participation of Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine has caught the eye of the rest of the world. Moreover, there persists widespread speculation, that a launcher was fired from the rebel-controlled area and returned to Russia after it was used to shoot down the MH17 flight. Russia’s connivance to support separatist movements across Europe and intervention in Syrian civil war hasn’t made them favourites amongst other nations.
Russia ranks 127 out of 175 countries in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Moreover, FIFA is believed to undertake the worst practice in international sports governance, with officials receiving $150m in bribes, resulting in the suspension of Sepp Blatter the former president of FIFA and his henchmen. Due to the above-said factors, Russia and FIFA are believed to be accomplices. There persists conjecture, that the bidding process was corrupt with the involvement of bribery and vote buying. This hypothesis was evident, considering the fact that Russia was awarded the bid in spite of having insufficient infrastructure facilities in comparison to other bidding nations.
Russia is notorious for state-sponsored doping programme, with incidents of swapping positive tested urine samples. IOC established that 1000 Russian athletes used illegal performance enhancing drugs, resulting in their suspension from the Olympic Games. A major cause of concern faced in Russia is hooliganism; riots occurred during the UEFA Euro 2016, with Russians threatening to attack any England fan on sight.
After the apparent poisoning of former spy Skripal and his daughter in the UK, the government announced the suspension of official visits to Russia. Accusing Russia of using hosting rights to disseminate propaganda like the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin. Cossacks who fought in Donbass and helped with the occupation of Crimea now receive state funding and political support in their utilization against protestors. Furthermore, the Russian government is paying private companies to kill 2 million stray dogs inhabiting its 11 host cities with poisoned tipped darts, receiving massive backlash from animal activists.
However, we can look at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, hosting rights from another angle. The hosting rights allow Russia to rebrand itself by breaking down barriers of ignorance and allowing visitors to enjoy the country’s rich cultural heritage. With the media attention now towards them, Russians get an opportunity to rest the bad reputation and reset the world’s opinion about themselves. This could also be Russia’s chance to legitimize themselves. A huge controversy also existed during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and Paralympics, but their success with the glitz and glamour put all the denunciation to rest.
FIFA said, “Football can’t solve political problems and FIFA is not in a position to interfere in sovereign issues, but it can contribute to building bridges, fostering cultural exchange and bringing people together”. Football fans and many others also believe that sports and politics should be kept separate. Politics should be allowed to run its course, keeping sports apart. Sports help unite people like no other diplomat or foreign policy.
With the successful commencement of the World Cup, controversies have now dwindled amidst the excitement.
By Roshni Divecha
Image Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com