“Qatar and UAE want to shine and sport is a vector of power”

“Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are so close that they are rivals. They have a lot in common. They built theirs fortunes in oil, foreign workers and a diversification of their economy. They want to shine, to exist and sport is a vector of power, image and popularity. There, too, they compete with an English club for the Emirates and a French team for Qatar. On the sports field, this geopolitical rivalry takes place more peacefully.“, analyze it geopolitician Pascal Boniface.

“This is the second time Manchester City have beaten Paris SG in the Champions League, the first time coach Laurent Blanc has been sacked from his post shortly afterwards”he clarifies.. “A blockade against Qatar was lifted in January, but traces of it remain and relations between the Persian Gulf countries are not uniform. And this match was not used to promote a diplomatic rapprochement”concludes Pascal Boniface, author of the book geopolitics of sport.