Can football bring ‘warring nations’ to the negotiating table? 

From mammoth Russia in 2018 to tiny Qatar in 2022 to ‘trade-warring’ USA, Mexico and Canada in 2026, FIFA World Cups provides a better opportunity to global communities to bridge diplomatic gaps. With 211 members it is, in one way, more representative organisation than the United Nations, which has the strength of 193.

Perhaps nothing exemplifies this better than the presence of President Vladmir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the inaugural match between Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 14.

On June 13, the footballing world decided 134-65 in favour of the three North American countries (against Morocco) in spite of President Donald Trump is raising great tariff walls and securing his country from the migrants.

One among several big questions is: Will Mohammad bin Salman, who may be full-fledged monarch by 2022, enjoy the match sitting beside his Qatari counterpart? After all footballing jealousy is one of the important factors behind Qatar’s economic blockade since June 2017 initiated by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

The envy is somewhat natural as Qatar, with 27 lakh population, is the smallest country of the world to alone host the World Cup, which a super power like the United States is co-hosting with its two neighbours.

It was in October 2017 that Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan, Head of Dubai Security for the UAE when he tweeted: “If the World Cup leaves Qatar, the crisis will go away … because the crisis is created to break it.”

No doubt the game of football, which somewhat resembles a battle, is being accused of fanning nationalistic––as well as other sorts of––passions, which sometimes lead to violence... It would be rather unfair to only blame Germany for it.

Yet football matches have brought ‘enemies’ to the common ground to play a fair game. The 1998 World Cup match between Iran and the United States in France is a case in point. The former won 2-1. In fact that was the last and only World Cup match which Iran had won before it defeated Morocco 1-0 on June 15 in Russia.

Similarly, Argentina got better of England 4-3 in penalty shoot-outs after 120 minutes of gruelling battle ended 2-2. In a lighter vein many football fans dubbed it as a revenge for the 1982 Falkland War.

Before the on-going World Cup kicked off there was a fear in some quarters that this global tournament may meet the fate of 1980 Moscow Olympic, which was boycotted by the United States and several of its allies in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.

There was no dearth of people in Russia, who saw a western conspiracy in the ‘witch-hunting’ in the name of drug test against its athletes and sportspersons, including its tennis star, Maria Sharapova.

If South Korea and Japan can bury the bloodiest memories of war to co-host the World Cup Football for the first time in 2002 the United States would certainly mend its fences with good neighbours by 2026. In the same way it is wished that the prize attraction of football would  compel the four Arab rulers to reconcile with Qatar with which they have no history of any quarrel.