DESPITE initial fears and doubts about the preparedness of Brazil to host the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup ,the soccer world was, on Thursday June 12, treated to a colourful and spectacular opening ceremony at the 65,000 – seater Arena Corinthians Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil , thus signaling the successful kick off of the 2014 World Cup.

On the field, the impressive opening ceremony was followed with a tantalising but controversial opening match that pitched Brazil, the host country and five times winners, against Croatia in a fierce soccer battle . The outcome of the match only goes to authenticate the credential of Brazil as front runners in the on-going ‘war’ for global soccer supremacy.

Since Uruguay hosted the first edition of the World Cup in 1930, during the era of revered FIFA President, Jules Rimet, the competition has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. From a 13-team event, with which it started in 1930, it grew to become a 32-team affair during the1998 edition, which was hosted and won by France. Today, the World Cup remains the most important sporting event all over the world, commanding a global TV audience in excess of one billion.

Beyond remarkable changes on the field of play with regards to rules governing the game as well as other technical matters, the World Cup has equally recorded enormous growth in financial terms. For instance, World Cup sponsorship increased from $2000 in 1984 to $16,000 in 1996. The most prominent sponsors are Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Adidas. In the United States, where the 1994 World Cup took place, 65% of the entire money that was spent on sponsorship was in sports. Additionally, 63% of the sponsorship in Germany , which hosted the tournament in 2006, was in sports while 80% of money spent on sponsorship in South Africa, the World Cup host in 2010, was equally in sports.

The US ‘94 edition of the World Cup was spiced with several innovations. For the first time in the game’s history, football matches were hosted in various cities across the country. In terms of economic benefits, the US ’94 edition equally marked a huge turning point in the history of the event. In Los Angeles, where the final match between eventual winner, Brazil and Italy took place, the city’s economy benefitted to the tune of $623 million . The cities of New York, San Francisco and Boston equally made a combined revenue of one billion and forty-five million dollars in the course of the US ’94 World Cup. In terms of job creation, over 1,700 part-time jobs were created in the city of California alone during the preparations and duration of the tournament.

The 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany was also a massive economic success. For instance, German tourism sector reportedly recorded a revenue increase in excess of over $400 million in the month of the World Cup alone. Similarly, an additional $3 billion was further injected into the German economy in merchandise such as jerseys and other stuffs regarding the Cup. Equally, over 500,000 new jobs were created before, during and after the competition. Hotels, restaurants, tourists centres and bars were full to capacity at all hours of the tournament, while over 15 million more spectators arrived in Germany than was initially anticipated.

Without doubt, football has become a money spinning sport across the globe. The organisation and management of football in Europe, for instance, is a multi million dollars venture with all the teams running other sports-related businesses. Indeed, all sorts of professionals: doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists, grass men, scouts, etc, are employed by the various teams in their drive for soccer glory.

Football in Europe has gone beyond the mere recreational activity that it is in Nigeria. As a result of the excellent manner it is managed in Europe, youths across the continent have found in football a means through which they could use their talents to escape poverty. Players such as Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, among others, thanks to football, have become multi millionaires before they clocked the age of 21.

However, some critics have labelled the World Cup as a misplaced event that showcases unnecessary opulence in the face of abject poverty across the globe. In Brazil, for instance, opponents of the World Cup are of the views that the over $11.5 billion so far spent by the country to host the World Cup could have been used to address the country’s growing problems with poverty, education, healthcare and transport. A recent survey reveals that 61 percent of Brazilians believe that hosting the World Cup is a “bad thing because it takes money away from public services.” Only 34 percent see it as a “good project because it creates jobs.”

In a book titled Soccernomics, which was published in 2009, famous Professor of economics and sports consultant, Stefan Szymanski and Ugandan-born British author, Simon Kuper, assessed the economic impact of hosting the World Cup and concluded that it is more of a waste.

For instance, they revealed that Japanese and Korean governments anticipated that the 2002 Korea /Japan World Cup, which they co-hosted, could enhance their economies by a stunning $26 billion and $9 billion, respectively. However , after the event, there was slight mark of any such increase.

Szymanski and Kuper, therefore, concluded that hosting the World Cup and, indeed, any other sports event does not really translate into prosperity for the people. The reasons, according to them, is that the infrastructure needed to host a grand contemporary sports show is colossal, and it does not generate enough money to pay for itself. Rather, fortunes are often spent to maintain the facilities, which in some places often give way to decay.

This coupled with several allegations of shady deals between FIFA officials and soccer administrators from countries bidding to host the World Cup, cast serious doubt on the credibility of the competition as a people oriented event. However, from whichever way it is viewed, the World Cup and indeed, football in general, remains a major rally point for youths across the globe.

Indeed, it has been alleged   that soccer administrators and politicians in most host countries often use the World Cup project to enrich themselves at the expense of the sufferings masses.

However, from whichever way it is viewed, the World Cup and indeed, football in general, remains a major rally point for youths across the globe.

The theme song for this year’s edition, ‘Ole Ola’ meaning we are one, is particularly apt in a world being faced with numerous divisive tendencies and forces. One only hopes that FIFA would look inward to address various administrative issues that could undermine the future existence of the game.

In the meantime, let us savour the splendor and excitement of the beautiful game by joining the rest of the world to sing ‘Ole Ola’ as the samba country treats the world to a month of scintillating soccer artistry.

Mr. TAYO  OGUNBIYI works with the Features Unit of the Ministry of Information & Strategy, Lagos State.