IMANE KURDI Football is more than sport, it is first and foremost a business, a billion-dollar mega-business with geopolitical influence. Last night, the Euro championships kicked off in Warsaw, a tournament co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. The move eastwards, to two former East-bloc countries, is a landmark in the history of the championships, part of a political movement to use football as a vehicle for economic and social development, and to bring it to countries that are not known for their football. Poland is ranked 65 in the FIFA world rankings, Ukraine 50, not exactly great footballing nations, but neither were Switzerland and Austria, the co-hosts of the last Euro championships four years ago. Switzerland has calculated that hosting the games brought in €165 million in revenue, 60 percent through accommodation, 19 percent in food and drink, 11 percent in shopping and nine percent in transport. For Switzerland it was pretty much a win-win situation. Apart from updating its stadia, it didn't have much to do in terms of building infrastructure for the games, it's not exactly an underdeveloped country. But for Poland and Ukraine it's a different matter. Roads, highways, airports, train links, hotels, restaurants, a complete infrastructure had to be built in order to host the games, as well as building the stadia to hold the games. As UEFA boss Michel Platini put it, the games have enabled the two countries to make a development leap of 30 years. That may be a slight exaggeration. More pertinently, Platini also brought Ukraine to task for the astronomical prices hotels were charging tourists for the games, saying that “bandits and crooks” were spoiling the games. The term “bandits and crooks” has stuck. When back in 2007 Platini opened the envelope announcing the choice of hosts for the games, he was a little startled to see Ukraine-Poland win the nomination. The choice had a political agenda. Back then, Ukraine was basking in the light of the orange revolution, a country in transition toward democracy and on a fast-track to economic development. The Euro championships were going to enable it to break free for good from the shackles of its communist past and help it pull away from Russia's shadow. Five years on it is an altogether different story. Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich may find himself sitting alone in his VIP box. Europe's political leaders are boycotting the games in Ukraine. Angela Merkel, David Cameron, Francois Hollande, and Jose-Manuel Barroso - among others - have all said that they will not attend and that no officials from their governments or organizations will attend. The boycott is in protest at the summary justice and harsh treatment meted out to Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister who has been in jail since October 2011 for abuse of office in a gas deal with Russia. But it is more than that, it is a red card to Ukraine. Instead of pushing Ukraine forwards toward development and democracy, the preparation for the games has seen a movement in the other direction. Massive corruption has accompanied the contracts awarded to build the infrastructure for the games. It has also been a total PR disaster. Ukraine has seen a flurry of news stories about its rampant corruption, high levels of prostitution, the greed of its hoteliers, its lack of liberty and its political repression. Poland has fared better. The country is now one of the stars of the European Union, one of the only states that has not seen a recession since the financial crisis of 2008. In the first quarter of 2012, GDP rose by 3.5 percent, partly as a result of investment for the games. The only dark shadow, and one that is shared with Ukraine, has been the prevalence of racism. Even before the start of the games, the Dutch team complained that its players were subjected to racist abuse during a training session in Krakow. And during the build-up to the games, there has been much talk of racist abuse by fans during games, of bananas being thrown at black players, of monkey chants and Nazi salutes, so much so that the families of several black players have chosen not to accompany their players to the games. Hosting a major football championship brings with it opportunities for investment and to showcase your country. UEFA estimates that 1.4 million people will come to Ukraine to watch the games. Add to that the millions of viewers across the world who will watch the games on television and what you get is a powerful spotlight on the country. Those who see hosting sports tournaments as a glitzy opportunity to shine in front of a worldwide audience should beware: the light shines way beyond the football stadia where the games are played and brings to scrutiny the economic, political and social structure of a country. There's no hiding, there's no pretending. You'd better make sure your house is in order before you invite everyone in. — Imane Kurdi is a Saudi writer on European affairs. She can be reached at [email protected] __
