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The World Cup: Holy Grail or Poisoned Chalice?

Hosting football's premier tournament is a big honour for any country, but is it worth the cost?

All eyes will be on Russia shortly as it hosts the FIFA World Cup, one of the world's great sporting occasions. The country will get a boost as tourists visit Russia's many far flung cities and spend freely in hotels and restaurants. But staging the event is not cheap. Russia will be spending at least $12 billion at a time when its economy is suffering from sanctions. And - once the teams and their fans leave, the clean-up is expensive and the legacy uncertain. This week Ritula Shah and a panel of experts ask what's to gain from hosting the beautiful game's greatest showcase.

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50 minutes

Last on

Sat 9 Jun 2018 11:06GMT
Â鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service except Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa

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Photo

(Photo of IranianÌýplayer in training in Russia by Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty Images)

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Contributors

Andrew Zimbalist - Professor of Economics at Smith College in the US and the author of Circus Maximus, The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup

Fernando Duarte - Brazilian Â鶹ÊÓƵAV journalist and football expert

Anastasia Ouspenskaya -ÌýRussian Â鶹ÊÓƵAV journalist and football correspondent

Manuel Veth -ÌýEditor of Futbolgrad, a website devoted to Football in the post-Soviet states

Also featuring:

Peter Okwoche - Â鶹ÊÓƵAV African Service

Dennis Shkurin - Associate Professor of Applied Sociology in Yekaterinburg, one of the cities hosting the World Cup.

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Broadcasts

  • Fri 8 Jun 2018 08:06GMT
    Â鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service except News Internet
  • Fri 8 Jun 2018 17:06GMT
    Â鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service Australasia
  • Fri 8 Jun 2018 23:06GMT
    Â鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service except News Internet
  • Sat 9 Jun 2018 03:06GMT
    Â鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service except Australasia & News Internet
  • Sat 9 Jun 2018 11:06GMT
    Â鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service except Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa

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