From the perspective of Islamic scholar Sebastian Sons, the Iran war and its consequences are accompanied by a loss of reputation of the Gulf states in sport. “This is a total disaster and an absolute nightmare – especially when it comes to their image as the center of global sport,” Sons told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
Countries such as Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were recently hit by Iranian retaliatory strikes. The war resulting from attacks by the USA and Israel led to postponements, cancellations and complications in international sports.
In Formula 1, for example, tire tests in Bahrain were canceled and games in the Qatari league were postponed indefinitely. The “finalissima” between Argentina and Spain, which is to be held in Qatar’s capital Doha, is also in jeopardy.
“A large part of their soft power and global marketing strategy relies on them being taken seriously and recognized as new players in sport,” explained Sons. “The fact that they now have to cancel sporting events is damaging to the reputation and business of the ‘golf brand’.”
DFB must “go into this World Cup with a plan”
Meanwhile, Sons sees the confrontation with the war in the Middle East as an issue that sports associations could “burn their fingers” over. Nevertheless, the scientist expects that the upcoming World Cup with co-host USA will be “even more politicized” than the tournament in Qatar: “Sport cannot escape the world situation.”
Before the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada (June 11 to July 19), associations would have to “formulate a clear stance and communication strategy: We are not apolitical, but we will not allow ourselves to be exploited for political purposes. That is a fine line.”
It is also important for the German Football Association (DFB) to “go into this World Cup with a plan,” said Sons: “The DFB should not seem like a driven man. What is important is to take the pressure off the players. That was a failure in Qatar, where the players were more or less left alone to deal with political issues.”
