THE BACKLASH OF QATAR’S 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP SPORTSWASHING: STRATEGIC MISSTEPS IN GEOPOLITICAL REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/ijibs.v21.211Keywords:
Sportswashing, FIFA World Cup, Sports governance, Ethical sports, Sport and politicsAbstract
Global sporting mega-events occupy a contested position in international relations, simultaneously embodying ideals of unity while serving as instruments of political reputation management. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar provides a critical case for examining the conditions under which sport-based reputation enhancement strategies generate international criticism rather than intended legitimacy gains. This study critically examines Qatar's strategic objectives for hosting the tournament, including economic diversification, geopolitical positioning, and nation branding, and analyses the backlash that emerged across multiple domains, including corruption allegations, labour rights violations, LGBTQ+ rights suppression, and environmental contradictions. Drawing on a qualitative case study methodology employing critical document analysis of government statements, FIFA records, media reports, and human rights organisation documents, the study develops two theoretical contributions: the concept of 'reputational arbitrage' [the miscalculation that mega-event visibility can outpace the visibility of governance contradictions] and the 'transparency paradox' framework [specifying mechanisms of infrastructural visibility, stakeholder multiplicity, and temporal mismatch that render contemporary sportswashing vulnerable to reputational backfire]. Findings indicate that Qatar's sportswashing efforts encountered systematic vulnerability because promotional narratives diverged from operational realities under conditions of digital interconnectedness and networked transnational activism. The study proposes policy recommendations for mitigating sportswashing and protecting human rights in future mega-events, contributing to scholarship on sport governance, organisational legitimacy, and strategic reputation management under geopolitical pressure.
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