Sportsfests are not useful investment, no

Not that we support violence of this or any other type in making the point:

Morocco protests turn deadly as youth rage against World Cup

Violence has broken out in several cities during rallies for healthcare and jobs while money goes into stadiums for the tournament

A poor (if you insist, middling) country coughing up money so that the world’s rich can have a sportsfest? Doesn’t really work, does it?

Three people were killed by police and hundreds arrested as anti-government protesters across Morocco rallied against investment in the 2030 Fifa World Cup over jobs and healthcare.

To remind, despite all those carefull crafted reports shouting that such sportsfests add value no, they don’t, they really don’t. That stadiums against healthcare trade off being the very reason why.

Sure, if government plunders the Treasury in order to build stadiums there is economic activity. But the true measure of investment - of growth itself - is what is got for the money spent? A few weeks of tourists coming to watch the footie? Or all the other things that could be gained from that same expenditure spent more sensibly? Health, education, a fertiliser factory, maybe even just leave the cash to fructify in the pockets of the populace and see what happens then.

Again, no, we are not backing riots or violence of any kind here. But it is a useful example of the people knowing more about how to spend their money than the government does, no?

Tim Worstall