FIFA World Cup: From the Sidelines

FIFA World Cup: From the Sidelines

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When the last fan files out of Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on Sunday after the soccer World Cup final, Vladimir Putin can bask in the knowledge that his objective for the tournament has been met: Russia has, for now at least, been re-branded.

After years when the dominant themes reaching global audiences about Russia have been associated with violence and diplomatic conflict, the tournament was a five-week stream of positive images being beamed to billions of televisions and smartphone screens.

That does not neutralise the issues for which the Kremlin is widely criticised. Those include its annexation of Ukraine, its treatment of sexual minorities, its bombing campaign in Syria and allegations, denied by Moscow, that it assassinates its opponents on foreign soil.

. Samara, Russia. Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
A volunteer sprays water on people during the match between Uruguay and France.

But the upbeat images from the World Cup will, according to specialists in the branding power of sports events, significantly improve Russia's global reputation and produce dividends in terms of investment and tourism.

"It's exactly what President Putin would have wanted," said Jon Tibbs, whose consultancy helped Russia successfully bid for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. "Just on the whole breaking down the stereotypes of Russia ... it has done immeasurable good."

. Saint Petersburg, RUSSIA. Reuters/Anton Vaganov TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A ballerina watches the quarter-final match between Russia and Croatia at the Mikhailovsky Theatre.

In some ways, re-branding Russia was easy. Perceptions of the country, especially in the West, were so negative that exposure to the reality was likely to show that things were less bad than many people believed.

However, organisational slip-ups can spoil positive impressions. Specialists in the field hold up the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, with its rickety infrastructure and political turmoil, as an example of how such events can back-fire.

. Sochi, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach
A TV presenter prepares prior to the World Cup quarter final between Russia and Croatia in Sochi.

Russia avoided those pitfalls. The infrastructure was delivered on time and to a high standard. Transport and tickets for fans ran smoothly. There was no fan violence. And ordinary Russians embraced the spirit of the occasion.

"This is, as it currently stands, a poster child of a nation rebranding its international image through the hosting of a major event," said Michael Payne, a former head of marketing for the International Olympic Committee who now runs a consultancy that advises the sports and entertainment industry.

Russia's previous turn at hosting a global sporting event, the Sochi Olympics was - despite some logistical glitches - also deemed a success at the time.

. Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters/Toru Hanai
A man wearing a costume smokes outside the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

A day after the closing ceremony, Putin said the event had shown "the whole world that we are a friendly country that knows how to welcome guests and throw a party".

But any positive glow was extinguished when, days later, Russia sent in troops to annexe Ukraine's Crimea region.

Up to that point, the Sochi games successfully changed negative perceptions about Russia. "And then it got completely derailed by the Ukraine fiasco," said Payne.

. Samara, Russia. Reuters/Dylan Martinez
People play as the sun sets by The Glory Monument in Samara.

When an investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency found evidence of state-sponsored doping by Russia at the games, included tampered samples being smuggled through a hole in a laboratory wall, the event was thoroughly tarnished. Russia denies systematic doping.

The Russian state will have spent 683 billion roubles ($11 billion) on preparing for and hosting the World Cup, according to the government.

It forecasts World Cup-related spending will add 1 percent to gross domestic product (GDP) over the period 2013-2018. A deputy prime minister said she anticipated a 15 percent lift in foreign tourism next year. Businesses from brewers to television retailers say they have benefited.

. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Darren Staples
A woman buys an ice cream during a rain shower in Moscow.

Arkady Dvorkovich, chairman of the Russia-2018 organising committee, said more important than the contribution to GDP was the improved image. "The result is that Russia has a different reputation," he said.

Because the reputational impact is intangible, it is difficult to accurately calculate if Russia is getting a good return on its investment in the World Cup.

People who work in the field say, though, that the impact is real and will, over time, translate into hard cash.

. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Gleb Garanich
A statue of Vladimir Lenin stands near a pavilion of the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.

"There will be economic impact studies and surveys that will be done that will show that business investment will pick up on the back of this," said Tibbs, the sports marketing consultant, whose firm has not worked on the 2018 World Cup.

"International companies that were afraid of investing in Russia or have pulled out, or were going to pull out, will change their minds and think: 'It's nowhere as near as bad as we thought'."

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A man walks past a war monument in Samara.
. Samara, Russia. Reuters/Max Rossi

A man walks past a war monument in Samara.

A skateboarder passes through Gorky Park in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

A skateboarder passes through Gorky Park in Moscow.

A woman has her picture taken at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.
. Moscow Rostov-On-Drosro, Russia. Reuters/Damir Sagolj

A woman has her picture taken at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.

Two men walk close to a war monument in front of communist era buildings in Saint Petersburg.
. Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters/Max Rossi

Two men walk close to a war monument in front of communist era buildings in Saint Petersburg.

A couple stand beside the Neva river in Saint Petersburg.
. Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters/Toru Hanai

A couple stand beside the Neva river in Saint Petersburg.

A pedestrian crosses the street in Moscow.
. Moscow Rostov-On-Drosro, Russia. Reuters/Damir Sagolj

A pedestrian crosses the street in Moscow.

Reuters photographer Kai Pfaffenbach holds a reflector to help a photographer working on the banks of the Moskva river.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Christian Hartmann

Reuters photographer Kai Pfaffenbach holds a reflector to help a photographer working on the banks of the Moskva river.

A girl chats on a mobile phone in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Jorge Silva

A girl chats on a mobile phone in Moscow.

A street musician plays violin at sunset in central Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Christian Hartmann

A street musician plays violin at sunset in central Moscow.

People enjoy a mild summer evening on a bench at Gorky Park.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Christian Hartmann

People enjoy a mild summer evening on a bench at Gorky Park.

A woman stands in front of portable toilets at the FIFA Fan Zone in Samara.
. Samara, Russia. Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A woman stands in front of portable toilets at the FIFA Fan Zone in Samara.

A worker sweeps a mini soccer pitch near a pavilion at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Gleb Garanich

A worker sweeps a mini soccer pitch near a pavilion at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.

Cruise ships dock near residential buildings in St. Petersburg.
. St Petersburg, Russia. Reuters/Michael Dalder

Cruise ships dock near residential buildings in St. Petersburg.

A worker sweeps near a monument at the Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Gleb Garanich

A worker sweeps near a monument at the Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow.

Cats are seen outside a souvenir shop in Saint Petersburg.
. Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters/Toru Hanai

Cats are seen outside a souvenir shop in Saint Petersburg.

Children play in a public fountain in Samara.
. Samara, Russia. Reuters/Max Rossi

Children play in a public fountain in Samara.

A woman controls escalators at a metro in Moscow.
. Moscow Rostov-On-Drosro, Russia. Reuters/Damir Sagolj

A woman controls escalators at a metro in Moscow.

Reuters technician Gary Austin, photographers Christian Hartmann, Carl Recine and Maxim Shemetov (L-R) relax in the business lounge at the airport in Soch.
. Sochi, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

Reuters technician Gary Austin, photographers Christian Hartmann, Carl Recine and Maxim Shemetov (L-R) relax in the business lounge at the airport in Soch.

A rainbow is seen from an aircraft window during the approach to Domodedovo airport outside Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Maxim Shemetov

A rainbow is seen from an aircraft window during the approach to Domodedovo airport outside Moscow.

The shadow of a plane is seen in a field shortly after take-off from Samara Airport in Russia.
. Samara, Russia. Reuters/David Gray

The shadow of a plane is seen in a field shortly after take-off from Samara Airport in Russia.

A man checks the engine of a taxi in the backyard of a taxi garage during heavy rain in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

A man checks the engine of a taxi in the backyard of a taxi garage during heavy rain in Moscow.

A woman sits on a bench at Primorskaya metro station in Saint Petersburg.
. Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters/Toru Hanai

A woman sits on a bench at Primorskaya metro station in Saint Petersburg.

A T-shirt obscures the view out of the hotel room window of Reuters photographer Kai Pfaffenbach in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

A T-shirt obscures the view out of the hotel room window of Reuters photographer Kai Pfaffenbach in Moscow.

Passengers belongings are seen in the business lounge at the airport in Sochi.
. Sochi, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

Passengers belongings are seen in the business lounge at the airport in Sochi.

A model of the space rocket "Vostok" (East) is displayed at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.
. Moscow Rostov-On-Drosro, Russia. Reuters/Damir Sagolj

A model of the space rocket "Vostok" (East) is displayed at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.

Men exercise at outdoor gym on the banks of the Volga River in Samara.
. Samara, Russia. Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Men exercise at outdoor gym on the banks of the Volga River in Samara.

Sunshine filters through a window at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.
. Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters/Toru Hanai

Sunshine filters through a window at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.

Reuters photographer Carl Recine relaxes on a hotel sofa with the Luzhniki stadium in the background in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

Reuters photographer Carl Recine relaxes on a hotel sofa with the Luzhniki stadium in the background in Moscow.

Illuminated luxury shopping centre Gum is reflected in the window of a souvenir shop in Moscow.
. Moscow, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

Illuminated luxury shopping centre Gum is reflected in the window of a souvenir shop in Moscow.

A statue of Lenin is illuminated at an amusement park in Sochi.
. Sochi, Russia. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

A statue of Lenin is illuminated at an amusement park in Sochi.

Reuters photographers Max Rossi and Carlos Garcia Rawlins relax as the sun sets by the Volgar River in Samara.
. Samara, Russia. Reuters/Dylan Martinez

Reuters photographers Max Rossi and Carlos Garcia Rawlins relax as the sun sets by the Volgar River in Samara.