From the beginning, the idea of holding the World Cup in Qatar did not arouse enthusiasm among fans. After all, the Football Federation has changed many immutable rules in order to do so. As a result, 20% fewer fans watched livescore football than usual. And as you know, the advertising revenue is the lion’s share of the championship. Let’s look into the reasons for this decline.
Records and anti-records of the last World Cup
First of all, the cost of the project exceeded 200 billion dollars only according to official figures. Thus, Qatar was able to afford the most expensive World Cup in history. However, the amount of bribes and kickbacks also exceeded all possible norms. It is known that 1.5 million euros were found during the search of only two members of the European Parliament involved in the corruption scandal, and how much money the decision-makers received is not known for sure.
The second big scandal erupted during the construction of the stadiums. The Guardian has calculated that during the preparation for the World Cup in Qatar more than 6.5 thousand people were killed because of the unbearable working conditions and too hot climate. Not surprisingly, prominent soccer stars have tried to remove themselves from the tournament as much as possible, and some players have even called for a boycott of the championship. First of all, this applies to live scores in football matches. Because it would hit the advertisers hardest and the problem would not go unnoticed.
How did the international community react to the tragedy?
As it turned out, this approach paid off. The scandals had a strong impact on viewership, which could not but affect the revenues for advertising. Recall that Tim Sparv, the captain of the Finnish national team, has spoken officially about his position on the championship. He said that if we honor every death on the construction site, then in complete silence there will be 44 matches.
It is also noted that the requested football scores live less used than in other championships. Officially the fans of the following countries declared a boycott of the World Cup:
- Germany;
- Belgium;
- Netherlands;
- Italy;
- Austria.
Around the world, many opinion leaders have declared that they are not going to watch live football and its scores. Qatar, for its part, has not yet commented on whether it has received the benefits and reputational bonuses it had hoped for from hosting the World Cup. However, given the number of scandals, it is unlikely. Bookmakers also note that fewer users were interested in the World Cup this year than usual.
