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| Yunan Syaifullah, SE., M.Sc., a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). (Photo: Zaki PR UMM) |
From an economic perspective, there is nothing attractive about Qatar being the host of the 2022 World Cup. It was stated by a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Yunan Syaifullah, SE., M.Sc. According to him, without the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has become a significant economic player in the Middle East region, where Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries as a world oil producer. In addition, Qatar has economic growth of 6.3%, and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reaches 176 billion US dollars.
Yunan again explained that from a development theory point of view, Qatar's decision to host the football event held every four years is called the reverse theory. In the past, big countries dominated the world economy, such as the United States and Europe, but today there is a trend or tendency that countries that are not taken into account can become players.
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"Every country that hosts the World Cup will experience the same pattern from the economic sector. Among them is increased income in the traveling industry, both from transportation and hospitality. Even with the potential to open new markets in the merch sector or global brands such as Adidas, Nike, Puma, and others, "said Yunan.
Qatar became the country that poured the most significant funds in the history of the World Cup, which was worth 200 billion US dollars. A fantastic cost is a form of self-esteem for Qatar as a form of the existence of an economic penetration country. In addition, it is proof of the antithesis of the theories of development that have been discussed previously, that countries considered small can also take part in the world economy.
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"When viewed from the theory of economic rationality, the amount of money that Qatar spent in the World Cup was based on ego and interests. In this case, Qatar as an economic actor does not only have goals in the economic aspect but also goes hand in hand with other interests such as politics," Yunan explained.
According to Yunan, this event is an opportunity for countries to show their strength, including countries that were not taken into account before—especially seeing that a series of big countries failed to advance to the World Cup finals. It is due to the emergence of a surprise from a country that does not have a football tradition. "This can be an opportunity for them to show that every country has potential and actors," he concluded. (cdr/zak/wil)
