1st Edition
Continental Perspectives on the Geopolitical Economy of Football
This book explores continental perspectives on football's new geopolitical economy, examining how sport, politics, and the global economy have emerged in different parts of the world.
Against a backdrop of international conflict and the rise of powerful new state actors in world sport, the book delves into countries and cases that explore how football investments and events have become instruments of soft power and industrial development, and how football plays an increasingly significant role in global politics and international relations. Featuring the work of leading researchers from around the globe, and case studies from five continents, the book addresses key contemporary issues in world sport. It examines the Gulf States’ investments in European football, the debates around ‘sportwashing’ and human rights, the rise of sports in the politics and cultural relations of China and India, and football’s complex relationship with migration and identity in Africa and Latin America. The book also considers the seismic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the geopolitics of football, the shifting landscape of football governance in Europe, the rise of Major League Soccer and the ‘Messi effect,’ and how the emergence of China and India as global economic superpowers is mirrored in their vision for their domestic football leagues. Additionally, the book highlights the role of FIFA and its commercial partners and stakeholders as key geopolitical actors on the world stage.
This is essential reading for anyone interested in sport, political economy, international politics, globalization, or development.
1. Introduction
Simon Chadwick, Paul Widdop and Michael M. Goldman
Part I: Africa
2. Trickle-Down Effects of the African “Super” League on Domestic Leagues
Manase Kudzai Chiweshe and Gerald Dandah
3. Building a Globally Impactful and Admired Football Academy: Lessons from Right to Dream
Kwame J. A. Agyemang
4. Perspectives on African Football: How Football’s Soft Power Serves as a Catalyst for Africa’s Growth and Global Influence
Beverley Agbakoba-Onyejianya
5. Algeria Conquering Sports as a Soft Power Tool
Brahim Kas
6. Language and Ethnicity in the Afro-Arab Cup: The Atlas Lions
Hisham Aidi
Part II: Asia
7. Unlocking India’s Potential in International Football
Mohit Anand and Treesha Lall
8. Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Football Relationship and K League (Still) in Midst of Organizational Identity Formation
Seungbum Lee
9. Japan Football Diplomacy
Donna Wong and Ricardo F. Ramos
10. The Rise and Fall of Chinese Football in a Time of Geopolitical Change
Jonathan Sullivan and Tobias Ross
11. Critical Drivers for Chinese Super League's Soft Power Comeback
Ricardo Gúdel, Emilio Hernández-Correa and Javier Pajares
Part III: Europe
12. Towards a Geopolitical Economy of Scottish Football: An Introduction
Grant Jarvie
13. Stadiums, Fandom and ‘Disneyization’ in Barcelona: Debates Around the Professional Football Industry
Xavier Ginesta and Carles Viñas
14. Exploring the Relationship Between the English Premier League and the Global Empire of Gambling Marketing
Jamie Wheaton
15. Can Accounting Help to Put Fans at the Heart of English Football?
Mark Middling and Stephen Morrow
Part IV: Latin America
16. Violence, Politics and Identity: Football in Buenos Aires
Jim O’Brien and Nahuel Ivan Faedo
17. Football's Geopolitical Influence on Argentina-Bangladesh Relations: From the Pitch to Policy
Nahuel Ivan Faedo
18. Globalizing Brazilian Football: The Impact of SAF and the Professional League
Luís Henrique Rolim and Vinícius de Freitas Soares
19. Culture, Politics, and Social Struggle in Brazilian Football
Nathalia Vicentini Aguiar
Part V: Middle East
20. The Geopolitical Economy of Football in the Middle East
Mahdi Shariati Feizabadi and Pascal Courty
21. The Competitive Advantage of Gulf Nations in Asian Football
Matthias Krug
22. Football for Development Through the Generation Amazing Foundation: One Million Reasons More than Just Geopolitics
Davies Banda, Christos Anagnostopoulos, Kamilla Swart-Arries and Nasser Al-Khori
23. Lights, Camera, Sponsorship, and Geopolitics at the World Cup in Qatar
Timothy Dewhirst
24. Football, Diversification and Diplomacy in the UAE
Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco and Kristian Patrik Alexander
25. Geopolitics and Israeli Football: New Generations, Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities
Yoav Dubinsky
26. Saudi Arabia – Opportunity or Disruptive Threat?
Neill Wood
27. The Limits of Soft Power when Football, Politics, Religion, Secularism, and Geopolitics Collide: The Case of the “Unplayed” 2023 Turkish Super Cup Final in Saudi Arabia
Steven H. Seggie
28. An Analysis of Iranian Women's Football Events Development: Beyond the Green Pitch
Soufiya Rezatab and Simon Chadwick
29. The Economic Dynamics of Turkish Football Broadcasting: From Neoliberal Policies to Controversial Tenders
Cem Tinaz, Emin Oğuz Inci and Elçin Istif Inci
Part VI: North America
30. Marginalizing Fans Through Supply and Demand Logics: The Messi Effect and Major League Soccer Profiteering
Jeffrey W. Kassing and Lindsey J. Meân
31. Foreign Investment in Major League Soccer Franchises: New York's Absentee Landlords
David Kilpatrick
32. Radio Broadcasting, Football and Reconciliation Between Brazil and USA: Intertwining Sports Relationships
Marco Roxo and Helcio Herbert Neto
33. Iran and US Football Diplomacy Behind the Political Sanctions: Mother of FIFA Matches
Mahdi Shariati Feizabadi and Fernando Delgado
Biography
Simon Chadwick is Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School, France. Chadwick’s work focuses on sport’s geopolitical economy. He has worked extensively with some of the most prominent people and organisations in the sport industry, including Formula E and several F1 drivers and teams.
Paul Widdop is Reader at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His research explores social and economic networks around the consumption and production of sport. He has published widely in the areas of sport and culture including articles in the Journal of Consumer Culture, Cultural Sociology, Cultural Trends, Electoral Studies, and the Journal of Political Marketing. Widdop serves on the editorial board of several academic journals and is co-founder of the Football Collective, a learned society of academics researching impacts of football on society.
Michael M. Goldman is Professor with the Sport Management Program at the University of San Francisco, USA, while also working with the Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa. He works with students, managers, and clients to enhance their abilities to acquire, grow, and retain profitable customers and fans.
