Scholar Discusses Political Motives Behind Qatar World Cup

Danyel T. Reiche, a visiting scholar at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, cited recognition by world political leaders and a desire for “soft power”—a form of political leverage in the international community—as some of the motives behind Qatar’s bid and subsequent status as host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Reiche, an associate professor of comparative politics at the American University in Beirut, spoke on Monday night as part of the Ash Center’s Democracy Seminar Series. Reiche’s particular area of interest is the intersection between sports and politics.

In a recent research paper, Reiche found that the main motives behind the Qatari government’s heavy investment in sports were to improve transnational relations, develop national identity and pride, and strengthen their national security and soft power, among other reasons.

“The sports investment is a way to build relations with the world,” Reiche said. “Without sports, fewer people would know about Qatar, and fewer people would care about Qatar.”

Amid Qatar’s recent move to host the 2022 tournament, Reiche acknowledged the conflict between traditional Qatari culture and the modernized world of international sports. He gave the example of the Qatari women’s national soccer team, which he said was created in 2011 in response to a demand from FIFA. According to Reiche, FIFA would not let Qatar host the tournament in 2022 if they did not have a women’s soccer team.

Reiche said that he talked to a coach for the Qatari women’s team about the initial reactions to the team’s formation. The coach told Reiche that of the 30 women invited to practice with the national team, only one got approval from her parents.

“I think that this was the most striking detail that Reiche offered,” said seminar attendee Pauline Yang, a graduate student at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. “This cultural collide will be an interesting trend to watch in the coming years.”

Another issue that was discussed at the end of the seminar was the sale and consumption of alcohol, a typical staple at major sporting events but forbidden in Islamic tradition. Reiche said that he predicted alcohol to be permitted at the 2022 World Cup, most likely in a concentrated area around the tournament site.

Muhammed Y. Idris, a research fellow at the Kennedy School and seminar attendee, said he saw the cultural conflict as one of the most import takeaways from the talk.

“When you have these rigid societies and there are these things that everyone wants to be a part of, the government is willing to bend the rules,” he said. “It will be interesting to see if there are any long-term implications of that.”