THE FIFA EFFECT IN THE UAE

The 2017 FIFA Club World Cup is returning to the UAE in December, with some of the world’s top clubs and superstars battling it out in unique fixtures in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain – seven clubs from six confederations will duke it out December 6-16. FIFA, the world’s governing body for the world’s most popular sport, is no stranger to landmark events, and Colin Smith, the company’s chief competitions & events officer shares some details on what to expect.

When it comes to the Club World Cup, what’s the “FIFA effect” for inbound travel and tourism?

We’ve seen a lot of fans travelling from abroad and it really depends on the teams that end up qualifying. We saw that Atlético River Plate (based out of Buenos Aires, Argentina) had huge numbers of fans travelling to see them play in Japan in 2015. Events like this always act as a catalyst to promote fans coming to the region. There’s also a huge expat population within the UAE and it’s a great opportunity for families to go and watch the best teams in the world play.

From a broadcast perspective, can we get a sense of how many eyes will be on these UAE fixtures?

The Club World Cup has a huge broadcast audience and I think it’s opportunities like this that enforce the UAE’s and the region’s position as an organiser of great sporting events. We work together with a local organising committee and work with the best hotels and facilities available. Zayed Sports City has been going through a refurbishment that was planned in any case and it’s due to be completed in September, there’s been a lot of updating and modernising. We will have our own event overlay – cabling, commentary positions, broadcast positions – and that’s because the interest from the international media is above what’s normally required from such a stadium.

Do you think having a successful UAE tournament helps with the perception of the Middle East region, especially in light of all the questions and challenges facing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

We already knew from t he past t hat t he Middle East i s very capable of producing fantastic sporting events and it’s events like t his t hat are j ust one more window i nto the Middle East; to see them showcasing themselves and their hospitality and hotels, which are second to none.