The world championship

The biggest four winners in 2018 FIFA World Cup were France, Russia, Croatia and Qatar.

France won the World Cup in the final game held on July 15th and the team’s captain had the honour of holding the coveted Jules Rimet trophy. However, many commentators said that the real winner was Africa with fourteen players of the French squad being of African origin.

Nevertheless, I think that France is the one that deserves the accolade. Its team had the audacity to choose fourteen sons of immigrants on the basis of their capability. Keeping the colour or religion of the players in the blind side of France’s choice purview attests professionalism and fairness.

The diversity of the French team is what made it win. It is a very good lesson to remember in the midst of xenophobia and Islamophobia, which had spread in the European continent following consecutive waves of migration from the Mediterranean region.

Russia was a big winner. It has won a great deal of respect as a result of the meticulous organisation, absence of hooliganism and street fights, and the generosity of the Russian people. The world at large was exposed to a different Russia. The Cold War images of Russia and the anti-media onslaught always portrayed Russians as brutal. More than 1.5 billion people were exposed to the Russian cities of Samara, Kazan, Saint Petersburg and Moscow, et.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic attracted so much attention and became a media darling because of her bubbly enthusiasm and modesty. Her country’s team was fiery and highly energetic. They could have won, but the exposure which the country received will help transform it into a major tourism and investment attraction.

Croatia is spending money to promote for its tourist attractions, but the attention it received as a result of the world football championship has dwarfed its efforts to market the country as a tourist destination. The Croatian team, as the Hollywood dictionary goes, a true scene stealer.

The last, but not least, winner is Qatar, which had been confirmed as the host of the 2022 JUWorld Cup. Thus, efforts to thwart FIFA’s decision and to take it out of Qatar should stop. This would be the first FIFA championship to be held in an Arab or a Muslim country. The cost of infrastructure and superstructure to hold the 2022 World Cup will probably exceed $22 billion. It must succeed, and with flying colours as well. It will be a huge gain.

The next Qatar World Cup should be the golden opportunity to show the real Arab hospitality and organisational capacity.

Every Gulf state stands to win also if the sanctions against Qatar are lifted. It is now the time to forget and forgive.

Russia paid an estimated $15 billion dollars, but they needed the new and improved playgrounds, stadiums, hotels and infrastructural improvements. Thus gains from tourism, investments and positive outlook outweighed the costs.