The whole sport-washing phase of a nation's growth won't last forever --- otherwise by definition its not sustainable and therefore a failure. They will have to shift towards a more economically strategic phase at some point. I will assume that the Qatar WC is the pinnacle of their sport washing project. They will need more sustainable projects going forward and projects that are more self-sustaining.
Having said that the partners for this 'foundation' in all likelihood will be the government-linked companies who will have some expectation of financial returns in the medium and long run. Look at Lego -- from toys for kids, they leveraged the brand into building Legoland, projects for schools etc.
Example -- part of the Qatari delegation were Media & telcom, practice guys. If you look at Arnold's new strategy towards increasing fan engagement, imagine what he can do with the muscle of BEin and the millions that Jassim can bring.
New business models are no longer linear or transaction. They tend to be more multi-revenue streams of an ecosystem -- look at Amazon. From selling books online to TV, grocery, and general e-commerce, the largest digital infrastructure player into a brick & clicks global player.
Obviously I maybe wrong and they are dinosaurs in the globalised digital age. But this is what I would do if given the opportunity to pitch to Jassim to diversify and reduce the risks.
