Sun, Mar 22, 2026 page6

• Sporting strategy of Gulf nations rocked by war

  • AFP, NICOSIA
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  About 80,000 fans were hoping to see Lionel Messi take on Lamine Yamal in Doha, while thousands more were gearing up for the Formula One grand prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but the war in the Middle East had other plans.

  The Gulf countries have invested vast sums of money in bringing global sporting events to their shores as they try to diversify their hydrocarbon-dependent economies and improve their images abroad.

  However, weeks of repeated drone and missile attacks from Iran, in retaliation against ongoing US-Israeli bombing, have put paid to that strategy, for now at least.

  

  Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, left, and Lewis Hall of Newcastle United vie for the ball during their UEFA Champions League match at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday.

  Photo: AFP

  Since the start of the war last month, dozens of events due to be held in the Gulf have been canceled or postponed.

  They include soccer’s Finalissima, which would have pitted UEFA Cup of Champions winners Spain against CONMEBOL Copa America winners Argentina in Doha, two F1 grand prix, the Qatari round of motorsport’s World Endurance Championship, Asian Champions League matches and the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix.

  “I was looking forward to seeing the match of a lifetime between Messi and Yamal, a clash between the old and new generations, but sadly this opportunity was not to be,” said Rabih, a 45-year-old Barcelona fan living in Doha.

  The Gulf region “projected itself as an island of stability,” said James Dorsey at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

  The states have spent billions of dollars to obtain hosting rights and put on such events, building ultramodern stadiums and modernizing infrastructure.

  Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022, one of the sporting world’s crown jewels and a climactic moment for the country’s strategy.

  Saudi Arabia is hoping to repeat the trick and is scheduled to host in 2034.

  Sports is just one plank of a wider program, with enormous investments in data centers joining glittering megaprojects designed to draw in tourists and wealthy expats.

  Now, though, the Gulf has suffered “significant reputational damage” that will need to be repaired, Dorsey said, for sports as well as other economic sectors.

  Jaber al-Harmi, editor of Qatar’s al-Sharq newspaper, told reporters that for many events “major preparations had been undertaken ... with only a few days or weeks left before the competitions were due to start.”

  “All of that has been lost,” al-Harmi said.

  The confidence of sponsors “is a major challenge,” he said, but added that sports would continue to be a priority for the Gulf states.

  “That strategy won’t be called into question,” he said.

  Danyel Reiche, an expert in the politics of sport at UAE University, said that he had “no concerns that events will return to the Gulf after the war has ended.”

  The region’s sporting strategy was built on three pillars: sponsoring events, clubs, and federations; buying soccer clubs and other sports teams, such as the United Arab Emirate’s ownership of Manchester City and Qatar’s purchase of Paris Saint-Germain; and hosting events, Reiche said.

  “Only the latter is affected by the war,” he said. “Once the war ends, international sporting federations will not hesitate to return to the Gulf, which has proved to be a financially lucrative, professional, and reliable location.”

  “To regain trust, Gulf countries might even expand their sponsorship activities,” he said.

  Many more events are already on the calendar.

  Saudi Arabia is due to host the AFC Asian Cup next year, while Qatar is to host next year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup and intends to bid for the 2036 Olympics.

  Much will depend on how the war ends, Dorsey said, adding that if Iran’s government changes, that could boost Qatar’s chances of hosting the Summer Games.

  However, if there is chaos, or a “more hardline” Iranian government, organizing major events in the Gulf would be “extremely difficult,” he said.
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