tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/world-cup-2022-10816/articlesWorld Cup 2022 – The Conversation2023-01-29T14:22:07Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1977582023-01-29T14:22:07Z2023-01-29T14:22:07ZA study of close to half a million soccer fans shows how group identity shapes behaviour<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505963/original/file-20230123-11-me17cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4056%2C2695&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Argentina fans celebrating their team's World Cup victory walk past a mural of Diego Maradona in Buenos Aires. While shared nationality is a factor, most fans typically think about players in terms of their club team.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Mario De Fina)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On Dec. 18, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/18/lionel-messi-argentina-france-world-cup-final/">Argentina defeated France</a> after penalties in what some have called the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/19/football/argentina-france-best-world-cup-final-spt-intl/index.html">greatest World Cup final ever</a>. For one month the attention of soccer fans from Brazil to Morocco was devoted to their national teams as the Seleção Canarinho, Atlas Lions and 30 other teams battled through the tournament in Qatar.</p>
<p>Now fans’ focus is returning to Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan and other clubs, as the major domestic leagues resume matches. Argentina’s hero, Lionel Messi and France’s superstar Kylian Mbappé, rivals on the pitch in Qatar just a few weeks ago, are now back in their familiar roles as teammates at Paris Saint-Germain. </p>
<p>Soccer players compete for a professional club but also hail from different, sometimes rival, countries. This duality provides a natural laboratory to study a question that has preoccupied social scientists for decades: How do our group memberships affect our behaviour? We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26187-x">recently published research</a> from a study on the impact of group identity on behaviour among over 400,000 soccer fans from 35 countries.</p>
<p>We found that national identity leads to more in-group support from fans but team identity has no effect. And that soccer fans offer less support for players who have left the club they support.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of football fans one of whom is waving a Canadian flag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canada fans cheer the Canadian soccer team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Shared national identity can lead to players receiving more support from fans.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Us vs. Them</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html">Social Identity Theory</a> holds that group membership provides us with a sense of belonging and raises self-esteem. We tend to categorize people in terms of group memberships, dividing the world into “Us” and “Them.” We often favour individuals belonging to our same social group and discriminate against those in the out-group.</p>
<p>Studying this behaviour is difficult. Experiments offer a way to isolate effects, but laboratory studies are usually highly artificial and experiments set in the real world typically require participants to make decisions based on very little information. These factors limit how far findings can be generalized.</p>
<p>To overcome these challenges, we partnered with a popular soccer app, <a href="https://forzafootball.com">Forza Football</a> to design an experiment studying the role of social identities in decision-making. The experiment was conducted during Forza’s annual poll to determine the world’s best soccer player.</p>
<p>We randomly altered the information users saw on the ballot in the 2018 poll to include either the players’ nationality, their professional club or just their name and photo. Forza users saw one of these three ballots and clicked on the player they thought was best.</p>
<p>The 10 players in the poll played for 10 different clubs and hailed from 10 different countries. After <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/26/wild-champions-league-final-sees-bicycle-goal-mo-salah-injured/">a record breaking 2018 season</a>, it was no surprise Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah won the poll.</p>
<h2>Shared nationality a factor</h2>
<p>We also knew users’ favourite clubs as well as their nationality. This allowed us to test how individuals vote when a player was presented as either belonging to their social group or being from an out-group.</p>
<p>For example, when we showed a Belgian Manchester United supporter that <a href="https://www.mancity.com/players/kevin-de-bruyne">Kevin de Bruyne</a> is Belgian, we create a shared identity. But if we show the same person that de Bruyne plays for rival club Manchester City, we create an unshared identity.</p>
<p>We found strong evidence of in-group favouritism based on national identity. Presenting players’ nationalities in addition to their names and photos increased in-group voting by 3.6 per cent compared to when nationality was absent. </p>
<p>On the other hand, providing information about a player’s professional club didn’t change voting behaviour. In other words, a person was more likely to vote for a player who is of the same nationality. While a fan sharing a club with a player had no effect on voting. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two soccer players wearing black and red outfits running on a pitch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Belgian soccer player Kevin De Bruyne (left) celebrates with his Manchester City teammate Norwegian Erling Haaland after scoring a goal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Jon Super)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So, a Portuguese user who saw that Cristiano Ronaldo is Portuguese, for example, was significantly more likely to vote for him than a Portuguese user who saw a ballot with just names and photos.</p>
<p>The disparate effect of shared club and national identity is likely due in part to the prominence of each identity. Soccer fans typically think about players in terms of their club team, not their national team. As a result, our subtle prime was more effective in raising the salience of the national identity than club affiliation.</p>
<p>We also measured how strongly fans identify with their favourite team and their nationality. It turns out, unsurprisingly, the effect of nationality on voting is greatest among individuals for whom that identity is more important.</p>
<h2>Voting for and voting against</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in a red soccer outfit kick a football." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah scores his sixth goal during a Champions League match against Rangers F.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Scott Heppell)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People not only voted for their in-group, they voted against candidates in their out-group. Professional soccer players sometimes change teams in transfers. </p>
<p>This creates a great test of the idea that individuals actively vote against someone they view as an out-group candidate. </p>
<p>For example, in 2017 Mohamed Salah <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2713686-mohamed-salah-liverpool-agree-to-long-term-contract-after-roma-transfer">moved to his current club</a>, Liverpool, from the Italian team AS Roma. This means for Roma supporters, Salah was in the in-group but is now in the out-group.</p>
<p>When presented with a ballot highlighting the fact a former in-group member is now in the out-group (on a different team), users were significantly less likely to vote for the player.</p>
<p>For these fans, providing team information caused a 6.1 per cent decrease in voting for an out-group player. </p>
<h2>Sports matters beyond the field of play</h2>
<p>Recent research by a team of political scientists has indicated star players like Salah <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2019/06/06/mo-salahs-goals-help-to-tackle-islamophobia-in-liverpool?linkId=100000006633012&utm_campaign=Link_Description&utm_content=Social_native_videos&utm_medium=Economist_Films&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Social_Issues">can reduce prejudice</a>. They found Islamophobia declined in the Liverpool area because of Salah’s presence.</p>
<p>But what happens when Salah stops scoring or changes team? Our results suggest sports fans might be quite fickle and that strongly identifying with the in-group is directly related to a backlash effect toward out-groups.</p>
<p>Sports reflect, reveal and shape major social, economic and political values and changes. Sometimes sports is used to bridge or widen ethnic, racial, religious and partisan divides.</p>
<p>For example, researchers have studied racial bias by looking at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/02/25/what-the-nba-can-teach-us-about-eliminating-racial-bias/">foul calls in the NBA</a>, how <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/research/nation-building-through-football-africa-cup">sports success can help unite</a> divided societies and how <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/interfaith-soccer-muslim-christian-tensions-positive-contact">playing sports together</a> can foster co-operation. Our study follows this trend and provides insights from the sports world on how group identity affects behaviour.</p>
<p>The effect of perceiving a shared or unshared group identity is likely small in any particular interaction. But the results of our large-scale study suggest relatively small changes in the prominence of group identities can alter behaviour. This has implications for how ballots are designed, how advertisers target, how social justice campaigns are rolled out and myriad other decision-making scenarios.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197758/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Studying how shared identities like nationality and club affiliation impact fan support for soccer players can tell us how our group memberships affect our behaviour.Daniel Rubenson, Professor of Political Science, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityChris Dawes, Associate Professor of Politics, New York UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1972372023-01-19T06:11:38Z2023-01-19T06:11:38ZHow the Fifa20 video game reproduces the racial stereotypes embedded within football<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503282/original/file-20230105-26-7ywgsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kyiv-ukraine-april-12-2019-guys-1373273969">Lutsenko_Oleksandr | Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>EA Sports’ Fifa football videogame series is arguably the most successful sports gaming franchise of all time. Since its debut in 1993, it has sold over 260 million copies across 29 iterations. This position was reaffirmed in 2022, with its latest instalment, Fifa23, <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2022/12/19/fifa-23-is-the-uk-christmas-1-for-video-games-games-charts-17-dec-17960785/">reported</a> as the UK’s highest selling videogame at Christmas. </p>
<p>In Fifa games – soon to be rebranded as EA Sports FC – gamers are able to simulate playing as, and against, their idols, with state-of-the-art graphics and individual player attributes that are assigned to match the abilities of real-world players. It is, as the franchise’s website <a href="https://www.ea.com/en-gb/games/fifa/fifa-22/buy/playstation#ea-play-benefits">puts it</a>, the “most true-to-life experience of the world’s game” without physically kicking a ball about. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14660970.2022.2109805">recent study</a> into the Fifa20 game shows that physical play wasn’t the only thing the game replicated. It also reproduced – within its very coding – the racial stereotypes that are deeply embedded within the sport.</p>
<h2>How digital players are ranked</h2>
<p>In Fifa, gamers choose to play as almost any professional club or national team. These are digital versions of current, real-world squads, which include players from Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappé to Chelsea’s Samantha Kerr. Each player’s performance level is determined by <a href="https://talksport.com/football/1206820/fifa-23-player-ratings-decide-system-pace-michael-muller-mohring-ea-thomas-muller/#:%7E:text=Muller%2DMohring%2C%20a%20fan%20of,made%20up%20of%2035%20attributes">a score</a> of 1 to 99, assigned to them by the game’s data collection team, which determines their ranking within the game. </p>
<p>This score is an aggregate value of the scores the player gets on 29 different competencies. These <a href="https://fifauteam.com/fifa-20-attributes-guide/">range</a> from the player’s ability to perform “long shots” and how high they can “jump” to their “strength” and “aggression”. And the scores are based on the data collection team’s interpretation of the real-world player’s competencies. </p>
<p>In 2020, we collated data from what was, at the time, the latest instalment in the Fifa series: Fifa20. We examined the aggregate scores assigned to the white and black digital players who were ranked as the game’s <a href="https://www.futbin.com/20/players">top 100 players</a>. We found that when it came to competencies that the game itself had classified as “physical”, black players scored more highly in almost all cases compared to white players. </p>
<p>This included in relation to their sprint speed (79.15 to 71.63), ability to jump (78.19 to 71.24), physical strength (76.69 to 72.0), balance (76.69 to 75.45) and levels of aggression (74.04 to 71.5).</p>
<p>When it came to attributes that the game classified as relating to a player’s technical or cognitive ability, the reverse was apparent. White digital players’ scores were, on average, higher than black players in almost all categories. </p>
<p>White players had higher average scores for their ability to cross a ball (72.29 to 71.35), to accurately take free kicks (67.98 to 64.53) and to accurately curve a pass (74.53 to 71.04). They scored more highly for composure (85.4 to 84.62) too. </p>
<p>Put simply, our study found that the aggregate scores for the digital players’ sporting attributes directly correlated with the racial stereotypes associated with black and white footballers in real life.</p>
<h2>The “natural black athlete” stereotype</h2>
<p>Sociological studies on racism in sports commentary <a href="https://theconversation.com/racism-in-%20football-new-research-shows-media-treats-black-men-differently-to-white-men-160841">have consistently found</a> that football match commentators overwhelming “see” and praise white athletes for their intelligence and black players for their inherent physical prowess – even when black and white footballers are doing the exact same thing on the pitch. </p>
<p>This racist bias is traceable back to pseudoscience that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00948705.1999.9714583?journalCode=rjps20">emerged</a> in Europe during the enlightenment era. White people were argued to be the most evolved, with the largest skull sizes – the most intelligent, learned and civilised. Black people, conversely, were positioned as the least evolved, with the smallest brains, physically and intellectually as close to other animals as they were to white humans. </p>
<p>These beliefs were deployed to argue that black people were naturally more
durable, faster, stronger and less intelligent than white people. This facilitated the view that black people were inherently better suited to physically demanding labour. It also made them “natural” athletes.</p>
<p>The fact that this perception of black talent as simply the result of players’ biology persists in professional football was perhaps most clearly demonstrated in 2018 by ex-Wimbledon footballer, Vinnie Jones. In a TalkSport radio interview, Jones <a href="https://talksport.com/football/397018/raheem-sterling-exeter-vinnie-jones-england-world-cup/">said</a> that if it were not for Chelsea and England forward Raheem Sterling’s inherent ability to run fast, he would not even be a professional footballer, let alone an England international player. (Jones later said <a href="https://talksport.com/football/442026/vinnie-jones-wrong-about-raheem-sterling-manchester-city/">he’d changed his mind</a>.)</p>
<h2>Why this coding matters</h2>
<p>Numerical values represent the foundation on which videogames are built. They influence every aspect of gameplay. In the case of Fifa20, the attributes coded into the virtual football experience dictated what these digital players could do, how they performed, and their artificial intelligence. Crucially, they shaped what the gamer literally feels when controlling each player. </p>
<p>You play this kind of game with a gaming controller. The tech in these pieces of kit responds to the scores that each player has coded into them. If a player scores high in their ability to dribble or to run fast, that is communicated to you through a series of vibrations you feel through your controller. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://fifauteam.com/fifa-20-attributes-guide/">game’s descriptions</a> of attributes put it plainly: scores for balance “influence how responsive the player you are controlling feels. High stats for agility and balance mean you’ll move fluidly. A low score for balance will mean your player could feel sluggish and unresponsive.” </p>
<p>It follows that the racial differences present within the coding mean that, on average, black and white digital players would feel very different to the gamer who is controlling them. In this sense, players of Fifa20 could well learn racial difference – and often from a very young age – through seeing and feeling digital players perform differently. </p>
<p>In her 2021 book, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/on-video-games-9781350217706/">On Video Games</a>, visual culture and gaming scholar Soraya Murray shows how gaming is a powerful space though which children and adults learn racial stereotypes and difference. Our findings demonstrate further subtle ways in which these stereotypes are reinforced. </p>
<p>There is a risk that children are effectively taught that black and white athletes are meaningfully “different” through sight, sound and touch – through the seemingly innocent and banal act of play.</p>
<p><em>A spokesperson for EA Sports, the makers of Fifa20, said: “When accounting for position, there is no correlation between skin tone and skill in our game.”</em> </p>
<p><em>“The data presented within this study provides a narrow and incomplete view of overall player ratings. The study does not control for player position, which is crucial when determining a player’s final attributes. Furthermore, the study accounted for 88 of approximately 17,000 players found within EA Sports Fifa20. In our most recent game, EA Sports Fifa23, this total is now over 19,000.”</em></p>
<p><em>They said: “Racism has no place in the world of football, and has no place in any of our games. While we acknowledge that biases continue to exist in sport, it is our duty as a leader in global football to stand against them. We highlighted this in our <a href="https://www.copa90.com/beatthebias">Beat the Bias</a> campaign alongside our partners at Copa90 in 2020.” They added that teams across the company had taken unconscious bias training “as part of our continual commitment to learn, improve and eliminate prejudice within our game and the world of football.”</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197237/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Black footballers in the game are given lower scores for technical or cognitive ability than white players.Paul Ian Campbell, Associate Professor in Sociology (Race and Inclusion in sport and in education), University of LeicesterMarcus Maloney, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Centre for Postdigital Cultures, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1966952022-12-20T18:56:57Z2022-12-20T18:56:57ZIs Gareth Southgate a successful manager? Two sports psychologists weigh in<p>Will they ever bring it home? Despite a general belief that England’s men’s football team performed well in the aftermath of their World Cup quarter final exit, inevitably questions are being asked about the team’s future hopes of success going forwards. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11529783/Gareth-Southgate-sacked-England-manager-latest-World-Cup-failure-against-France.html">Some</a> have suggested that the blame for England’s loss lies at manager Gareth Southgate’s door and believe he should be sacked. </p>
<p>Is it that simple? We can explore the question of whether Southgate has been a success issue by looking at his time as manager from a psychological perspective.</p>
<h2>Transformational leadership</h2>
<p>Up until now Southgate has received a lot of acclaim during his tenure as England manager. He has been commended for moves like transitioning older players like Wayne Rooney out of the team and introducing a wealth of young players like Bukayo Saka. </p>
<p>His handling of contentious issues has also been praised, such as his approach to encouraging <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gareth-southgate-vaccination-under-30s-b1889788.html">COVID-19 vaccines in under 30s</a> and his support of players <a href="https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/praise-gareth-southgate-after-explains-20772363">taking the knee in response to racism</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1260/174795408785100581">Psychological theories and research</a> show that a good leader changes their approach depending on what sort of leader a team needs and wants. For example, some teams like their leaders to ask the views of the group, which in this case would mean that the manager asks players their views on tactics and playing style. If this happens the players will be more satisfied with their leader. </p>
<p>The support for Southgate to stay as manager that has come from both the most established players such as <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/2022-12-10/william-proud-and-england-fans-gutted-as-penalty-miss-sends-three-lions-home">Harry Kane</a>, as well as squad members like <a href="https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/england-players-gareth-southgate-in-charge-after-2022-world-cup-2018633">Kieran Trippier</a> suggests that he is a success in this regard.</p>
<p>Closely linked to leadership, is the idea of team cohesion or their bond. The degree to which Southgate can be considered a <a href="https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apps.12342">transformational leader</a> – one who can inspire significant improvement in their team – is also dependent on how well he builds relationships and motivates England’s players to perform beyond their levels of expectations.</p>
<p>The praise Southgate has received <a href="https://www.football365.com/news/usa-manager-high-in-praise-of-southgate-and-predicts-difficult-game-against-england">inside</a> and outside football in relation to <a href="https://www.cityam.com/number-10-full-of-praise-for-compassionate-gareth-southgate/">his compassion</a> would suggest he possess transformational leadership qualities. Such an approach to leadership means that it is likely that England’s players <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2003/03/leadership">strongly identify with the team</a>. This in turn leads to successful performance.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/j.smr.2011.12.003">research</a> also confirms that while supporting players is important, a good manager’s game plan and tactics remain key. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1059601110391251">A previous win or loss</a> can also impact cohesion as well as future performance. </p>
<p>Overall, <a href="https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apps.12342">studies</a> show that a successful manager needs a mixture of transformational leadership, cohesion and wins. So, England’s repeated inability to win tournaments could feasibly be related to Southgate not doing his job quite as well as he could. This means that while he can be considered a success in terms of the satisfaction of his players, he cannot in terms of performance alone.</p>
<h2>Removing stress</h2>
<p>A final consideration is that while the focus on Southgate’s record will centre around on-field success, it is important to consider some of the wider challenges he has had to face as England manager.</p>
<p>This includes the more political aspects he has to take on in recent years, including addressing racism and the <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/12743789/gareth-southgate-england-manager-says-it-is-highly-unlikely-they-will-not-speak-out-on-qatar-issues-at-world-cup#:%7E:text=Asked%20at%20England's%20squad%20announcement,I%20think%20that's%20highly%20unlikely.">human rights</a> record of World Cup host nation Qatar. </p>
<p>This reflects the modern, wide-ranging remit of the England manager’s role. Although not obviously linked to performance on the pitch, by taking responsibility for discussing these issues away from the players, it could be argued that Southgate has played an important role in removing stress from the group. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2020.1717302">Research shows</a> that sportspeople can view external events of this kind as threatening and ultimately detrimental to them achieving their goals. So Southgate’s ability to address these issues and defend his players may be particularly important in them achieving success. We saw this in 2021 <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12016/12354010/fa-condemns-racist-abuse-bukayo-saka-marcus-rashford-and-jadon-sancho-suffered-after-euro-2020-final">following the abuse suffered</a> by Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Saka after England’s Euro 2020 final defeat. </p>
<p>It is difficult to definitively say whether Southgate is a good manager. But he is a transformational leader who has supported his players and they obviously like him. However, he has not been able to see them through to a major win. </p>
<p>It seems like, for now at least, he will stay, despite some <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11555201/Jamie-Redknapp-questions-praise-bestowed-Gareth-Southgate-England.html">questioning this decision</a>. Hopefully, in the next big tournament he will be able to solidify his leadership with a win.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196695/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Should he stay or should he go now?James Newman, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Sheffield Hallam UniversityJames Rumbold, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Course Leader for MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology (BPS-Accredited), Sheffield Hallam UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1963312022-12-20T18:56:56Z2022-12-20T18:56:56ZWorld Cup: Fifa needs Qatar 2022 to leave a legacy of progress against corruption<p>The men’s 2022 Fifa World Cup has ended, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/18/world-cup-final-argentina-france-match-report">Argentina crowned champions</a>. But at this tournament in particular, there has been much to distract from the actual football being played. From start to finish, Qatar 2022 has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-qatars-frantic-countdown-to-a-football-tournament-full-of-controversy-191918">controversial</a>. </p>
<p>Naming the small state as host <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61635340">back in 2010</a> led to widespread criticism of Fifa. Since then, <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-heat-on-qatar-diverts-attention-from-fifas-failure-to-tackle-proven-corruption-194298">allegations of corruption</a> in the awarding process have been investigated by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/may/24/fall-of-house-of-fifa-david-conn-review">media</a>, <a href="https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/justice_corruption-at-fifa--25-criminal-cases-and-a-prosecutor-in-hot-water/45800868">legal systems</a>, and <a href="https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/f0245071165bcbc/original/wnr43dgn3yysafypuq8r-pdf.pdf">Fifa’s own ethics committee</a>. A number of Fifa officials have been <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fifa-corruption-scandal-officials-convicted-jose-maria-marin-juan-angel-napout-a8125441.html">convicted of corruption charges</a> or <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-world-cup/story/2636867/jack-warner-handed-life-ban-by-fifa-ethics-committee">banned from football</a> for ethics breaches. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/gianni-infantino-fifa-worldcup-boos-28616966">booing</a> of Fifa president Gianni Infantino when his image was shown on stadium screens in Qatar suggest that football’s international governing body is not a popular organisation with some. </p>
<p>But it has actually made some notable progress when it comes to transparency and accountability. And it must be hoped that this will continue and become a major part of Qatar 2022’s legacy. </p>
<p>For after the last ball has been kicked, or the last race has been run, most sporting mega events end with discussions of legacy – about whether the occasion has had a positive impact on things like education, participation levels or infrastructure. Lessons also need to be learned regarding the future of sport – and crucially, the business of sport. </p>
<p>This will be especially true for Qatar 2022, with issues around <a href="https://theconversation.com/qatar-why-we-are-critical-of-some-countries-human-rights-records-and-not-others-195267">human rights</a>, sexual diversity, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-qatar-world-cup-is-beaming-misogyny-around-the-world-195242">misogyny</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-how-sponsorship-has-become-less-about-selling-drinks-and-more-about-geopolitics-195140">geopolitics</a> never far away.</p>
<p>So while some football fans <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-qatar-is-accused-of-sportswashing-but-do-the-fans-really-care-193485">may not be overly bothered</a> by what happens off the pitch, businesses don’t have the luxury of that level of loyalty. They genuinely care about allegations of corruption, and don’t want to be tarnished by association.</p>
<p>And businesses are a vital part of modern football. They provide lucrative sponsorship deals and loans, while many club owners also run large companies. This means that for the most part, the football world cares about its reputation for corruption. It has to. And the best way to proceed is for the sport to have strong a strong culture of anti-corruption.</p>
<h2>Penalty decision</h2>
<p>In 2010, the year that Qatar and Russia were awarded the 2022 and 2018 world cups, Fifa was a different business organisation to what it is today. There was very little transparency and accountability, and a severe <a href="https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ilsajournal/vol22/iss2/2/">lack of “corporate governance”</a> – the system which dictates how an organisation is run. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2013.825874">later study</a> into various sport governing bodies (including Fifa) showed that poor governance was rife across the sector. It highlighted problems which tend to increase the risk of corruption, including a widespread lack of accountability, non-existent ethics committees, and entrenched long-serving executive committee members. </p>
<p>To combat corruption, good governance demands <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41310-019-00058-w">accountability, monitoring and control, and enforcement</a>. And my research looking at the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.649889/full">strength of anti-corruption policies</a> in sport governing bodies shows that Fifa has actually learned some valuable lessons from 2010. </p>
<p>It has, for example, introduced gift registers, where officials publicly list any items they have been given in the course of carrying out their professional duties (many countries have these for politicians). It has also made the confidential reporting hotline phone number clearly available on its website and included a definition of “bribery” in its code of conduct. </p>
<p>And (finally) Fifa now publishes both its <a href="https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/organisation/finances">financial statements</a> and its <a href="https://www.fifa.com/legal/judicial-bodies/disciplinary-committee-decisions">sanctioning decisions</a> when it punishes national football associations, officials and players for breaches of its code. </p>
<p>In 2020, it went a step further by publishing what it calls a <a href="https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/4a1daee06e72f0c6/original/lp015yxfdqesvrleo6ii-pdf.pdf">“compliance handbook”</a>, a first for a large sporting organisation. It contains details on resisting bribery, dealing with conflicts of interest and advice to staff on raising concerns. The document notes that in 2015, when the US Department of Justice charged several Fifa officials with criminal offences, the organisation was “under threat from corruption [and] misconduct”.</p>
<p>All of this suggests that Fifa as a business has improved its own approach to accountability and transparency. But there is still a long way to go. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2021.1957836">My research</a> on corruption in sports mega-events highlights the need for an external bidding system when it comes to awarding hosting rights. There also needs to be clear bidding criteria, and independent third-party oversight for the bidding process itself. </p>
<p>Anti-corruption experts I spoke to were also in favour of more transparency in procurement at mega-events, and more robust monitoring of the construction, goods and services providers involved in their preparation.</p>
<p>And there remains a need for further improvements at Fifa. For example, term limits have been put in place (12 years for presidents), but <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12769221/gianni-infantino-fifa-to-launch-new-32-team-mens-club-world-cup-and-will-rediscuss-2026-world-cup-group-stage-format">Fifa have decided</a> that Infantino’s three years in office from 2016 to 2019 do not count, as he took over from Sepp Blatter and it was therefore not a full four-year term. </p>
<p>For Qatar, the focus now will now be on continuing to improve its <a href="https://theconversation.com/hosting-the-world-cup-what-qatar-can-learn-from-south-africa-about-nation-branding-195657">global PR</a>, particularly if it is planning to <a href="https://dohanews.co/qatar-eyes-hosting-of-2036-olympic-games-given-current-world-cup-success-source/">bid for the 2036 Olympics</a>. </p>
<p>In the meantime, Fifa must continue to dramatically improve its levels of accountability, transparency, and good governance. That way, the long term legacy of the 2022 World Cup can be one which makes a long-awaited strike against corruption in football.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196331/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Philippou is affiliated with the RAF FA.</span></em></p>Now is a good opportunity to take important steps towards transparency.Christina Philippou, Principal Lecturer, Accounting and Financial Management, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1947822022-12-19T17:19:39Z2022-12-19T17:19:39ZHow the 2022 World Cup has highlighted the complexities of corporate activism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499652/original/file-20221207-12-jw8iph.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C8%2C5964%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/enthusiastic-asian-woman-girl-activist-shouting-2129238629">Mix and Match Studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.bigissue.com/news/activism/how-fans-and-players-around-the-world-are-protesting-the-qatar-world-cup/">Nations and players</a>, and even a number of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/04/paris-joins-other-french-cities-in-world-cup-tv-boycott-qatar">French cities</a> have criticised Fifa’s decision to award the 2022 men’s football World Cup hosting duties to Qatar. But when a company does the same, it can run the risk of being accused of “greenwashing” or even “wokewashing” – that is, taking an inauthentic stand on a cause to benefit sales.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-qatars-frantic-countdown-to-a-football-tournament-full-of-controversy-191918">Some companies</a> have been openly <a href="https://talksport.com/football/1250376/england-lucozade-world-cup-qatar-human-rights/">critical of the host country</a>. But, for many companies, the money to be made from TV rights, merchandising and corporate sponsorship still makes the association worthwhile. </p>
<p>Fifa sponsors <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/heres-how-fifas-world-cup-sponsors-have-performed-stock-market-2018-06-07">pay from US$10 million (£8.2 million) upwards</a>, meaning the rights tend to be divided up among major global corporations vying for a slice of the profits. Smaller companies don’t tend to be able to compete with the sponsorship buying power of these brands.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-qatar-is-accused-of-sportswashing-but-do-the-fans-really-care-193485">World Cup 2022: Qatar is accused of 'sportswashing' but do the fans really care?</a>
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<p>So how can a much smaller company get a piece of this action? It might take a leaf out of UK brewery BrewDog’s public relations handbook. In the run-up to the tournament, it dubbed itself an “<a href="https://www.brewdog.com/uk/anti-sponsor-qatar">anti-sponsor of the World F* Cup</a>”, with plans to donate profits from one of its lagers to human rights causes.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/james-watt-21a5a912b_there-arent-many-businesses-of-brewdogs-activity-6995759287822090240-BKb3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop">post on LinkedIn</a>, BrewDog co-founder James Watt said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If we are only prepared to accept ethical stances from businesses or individuals who have no conflicts, we’ll be waiting forever, and we’ll all be giving tacit approval for things that are just plainly wrong in the world.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So, announcing itself as a corporate anti-sponsor appears to be a clever way for this growing company to highlight its corporate stance on certain issues and attract consumers with shared values, while still linking into World Cup discussions, activity and excitement. But is it authentic?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A brewdog craft beer sign. BrewDog is a Scottish brewery and pub chain." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499653/original/file-20221207-12-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499653/original/file-20221207-12-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499653/original/file-20221207-12-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499653/original/file-20221207-12-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499653/original/file-20221207-12-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499653/original/file-20221207-12-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499653/original/file-20221207-12-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A BrewDog brewery sign.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-united-kingdom-october-13th-2018-1203153919">Ink Drop/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>Marketing stunt versus authentic stand</h2>
<p>Founded in 2007, BrewDog has been vocal about its aim of shaking up the brewing industry. Previously, it has created a marketing strategy around the climate crisis, with <a href="https://www.brewdog.com/au/brewdog-planet">carbon-negative products</a> sold as decreasing its customers’ carbon footprints. </p>
<p>But BrewDog has also been caught up in <a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/01/24/brewdog-timeline-controversial-brand">several controversies</a> around its own operations that could also call its corporate activist credentials into question. This includes accusations of a toxic <a href="https://www.unleash.ai/company-culture/brewdog-accused-of-having-a-toxic-workplace-culture/">workplace culture</a> made by <a href="https://twitter.com/PunksWPurpose/status/1402724680637747200">former employees</a>, to which Watt posted <a href="https://twitter.com/BrewDogJames/status/1402931912742785027">a response</a> on twitter in June 2021. Referring to an open letter that the former employees tweeted about their concerns, Watt called it “so upsetting, but so important” and said the company would take action as a result. He added:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are committed to doing better, not just as a reaction to this, but always; and we are going to reach out to our entire team past and present to learn more. But most of all, right now, we are sorry.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The company has also recently given up its <a href="https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2022/12/brewdog-has-its-b-corps-certificate-revoked/">status as a B-Corp</a>, which is a certification that a company meets high standards around environmental and social performance. When asked about this issue by The Conversation, a spokesperson for BrewDog said: “A comprehensive independent culture review was conducted last year, and we have put in place numerous measures to help us achieve our goal of being the best employer in hospitality, bar none. We let our B Corp certification lapse for a number of reasons.”</p>
<p>BrewDog’s World Cup stance highlights the complicated balancing act involved in pulling off corporate activism successfully. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0743915620947359">Research</a> shows that taking a stand on a controversial topic that generates both positive and negative feedback is one of the numerous differences between corporate activism and corporate social responsibility. </p>
<p>The latter generally sees brands supporting issues that are not controversial within their specific market. For example, a bottled water company campaigning for clean water standards or funding water-related humanitarian projects. On the other hand, a <a href="https://tonyschocolonely.com/int/en/our-story/news/facing-up-to-an-inconvenient-truth-were-part-of-the-sugar-problem">chocolate company</a> lobbying for a sugar tax would be classed as corporate activism.</p>
<p>As such, corporate activism goes much further than typical corporate social responsibility stances, according to research. Corporate activism also involves both <a href="https://asset-pdf.scinapse.io/prod/3122377085/3122377085.pdf">messaging and actions</a> that show a commitment to a socio-political cause that are made to create change. Such actions help a company to go beyond advocacy to achieve authentic corporate activism.</p>
<h2>The risks of corporate activism</h2>
<p>Unsurprisingly, it can take years for brands to garner a reputation as an authentic corporate activist. Taking a stand is also risky business. A company could alienate consumers who disagree, affecting sales. It could also be highly scrutinised by the public who may agree with the broad themes that are being discussed, but disagree with methods, actions and messaging. </p>
<p>The latter is when accusations of greenwashing and wokewashing abound. This is particularly the case when there is a perception of a brand jumping on the bandwagon of a popular issue. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0743915620947359">Research shows</a> that publicly addressing perceptions of authenticity is central to how brands will be received in the market. When words do not correlate with actions, brands are likely to be called out. </p>
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<img alt="Patagonia sign in front of the store located in downtown Pasadena" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499654/original/file-20221207-26-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499654/original/file-20221207-26-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499654/original/file-20221207-26-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499654/original/file-20221207-26-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499654/original/file-20221207-26-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499654/original/file-20221207-26-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499654/original/file-20221207-26-plz1ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/march-15-2018-pasadena-ca-usa-1051543736">Sundry Photography/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>An example of authentic corporate activism is outdoor apparel brand Patagonia, which has managed to achieve a balance between purpose-driven messaging and practice. At the risk of lost revenue, Patagonia <a href="https://www.patagoniaworks.com/press/2022/11/3/closing-for-election-day">closes stores</a> on election days to allow staff to vote and donated a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/29/business/patagonia-10-million-tax-climate-change-trnd/index.html">corporate tax cut</a> to environmental organisations. But no one is immune to criticism – Patagonia’s recent corporate restructure has been criticised over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/patagonia-big-climate-donation-saves-1-billion-in-taxes-yvon-chouinard2022-9?r=US&IR=T">allegations that they were benefitting from a tax break</a>, for example. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-patagonias-purpose-driven-business-model-is-unlikely-to-spread-190889">Why Patagonia's purpose-driven business model is unlikely to spread</a>
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<p>So what can BrewDog do to prove its mettle as a corporate activist? It has shown <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/brewdog-defends-decision-screen-world-25470457">World Cup matches in its bars</a>, but the brewer’s spokesperson told The Conversation: “Many organisations and individuals expressed outrage about staging the World Cup in Qatar, but none of them boycotted the event itself, and neither did we.”</p>
<p>Otherwise, BrewDog has pledged the profits from one of its products – Lost Lager – to human rights causes. In my opinion, asking consumers to buy a specific product, rather than corporates donating directly to charity, shows a disconnect between corporate messaging and practice. But the BrewDog spokesperson questioned the sense in “trousering those profits and instead putting the onus on customers to make donations”.</p>
<p>But donating profits from one beer to human rights causes puts the emphasis on the consumer to choose that product if they care about the issue. Asking people to donate to a charitable cause can be authentic if it is supported by corporate fundraising such as a donation match.</p>
<p>BrewDog will announce the amount raised and the charities that will be receiving donations at the end of January. Final judgement should be reserved until then, but its stance so far certainly looks like an example of inauthentic corporate activism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samuel Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When done authentically, corporate activism looks and appears easy, but it’s actually easy to get wrong.Samuel Jones, PhD Candidate, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1958672022-12-19T10:54:59Z2022-12-19T10:54:59ZWorld Cup 2022: who won the prize for ‘soft power’?<p>After four weeks, 64 games and more than a <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-qatars-frantic-countdown-to-a-football-tournament-full-of-controversy-1919187">decade of controversy</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64019023">Argentina has won</a> the Fifa men’s World Cup in Qatar. And as Lionel Messi and his teammates celebrate victory over France, another competition has also reached its conclusion – the battle for “soft power”. </p>
<p>Soft power is a <a href="https://wcfia.harvard.edu/publications/soft-power-means-success-world-politics">foreign policy tool</a>. It’s about shaping global perceptions and attitudes using things like music, fashion and <a href="https://www.newamerica.org/fellows/events/online-how-soft-is-the-power-of-sport/">sport</a>. The Fifa World Cup is perhaps the ultimate soft power platform, with 32 countries <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/media-releases/more-than-half-the-world-watched-record-breaking-2018-world-cup">on show to billions</a> of people. </p>
<p>During the event, <a href="https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1032656.pdf">three types</a> of soft power could be observed: “brilliant” soft power, which comes from high performance levels and generates feelings of admiration; “beautiful” soft power, which inspires hope and a sense of togetherness; and “benign” soft power, which is found in positive attitudes and altruism. </p>
<p>Using these categories we have determined the following national placings for the 2022 “World Cup of Soft Power”.</p>
<h2>Winners: France</h2>
<p>In global <a href="https://softpower30.com/country/france/">soft power rankings</a>, France was lifted by its win at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia. In 2022, the football team’s performances have only strengthened the national image and reputation. The squad is the epitome of “brilliant” soft power, combining style and elegance with acute competitiveness, and projecting an image that is cosmopolitan, diverse and united. </p>
<p>One player (arguably the world’s best right now) is instrumental in this: Kylian Mbappé. His club side, Paris Saint Germain (PSG), is a big part of France’s soft power story, helping to build its credentials through a carefully managed combination of <a href="https://www.iris-france.org/155771-soft-power-songs-psg-rap-and-the-state-of-qatar/">football, fashion and music</a>. </p>
<p>Earlier this year, French president Emmanuel Macron reportedly stepped in to <a href="https://www.marca.com/en/football/psg/2022/11/11/636e19cae2704eed1e8b45b6.html">persuade Mbappé not to leave PSG</a> for Real Madrid, such is his importance to France. Macron fully understands the need for charm, style and confidence in global affairs. When he flew to Doha after France had made it to the semi-finals, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/macron-defends-qatar-visit-amid-eu-qatar-corruption-scandal-543272">he met the Emir of Qatar</a>. At full time in the final, he <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/emmanuel-macron-final-france-argentina-b2247589.html">repeatedly consoled Mbappé</a>. </p>
<h2>Runner up: South Korea</h2>
<p>Masters of “inspirational” soft power, South Korea’s <a href="https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220811000854">star continues to rise</a>. This is partly a result of government policy, but also the private sector’s enthusiastic patriotism. </p>
<p>South Korea’s first match at the tournament came after an appearance by the singer Jung Kook at the opening ceremony. Jung Kook is a singer with BTS, a band that has been at the forefront of what has become known as the <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/this-is-south-koreas-k-pop-soft-power-moment/">“Korean wave”</a> (or K-wave), which put the country centre stage globally in cinema, television, and music. In tandem with Jung Kook came the <a href="https://dohanews.co/k-pops-bts-world-cup-sponsorships-are-as-much-politics-as-they-are-business/">car maker Hyundai-Kia</a>, which has an endorsement deal with BTS and is also a key Fifa sponsor. </p>
<p>South Korea was also lucky to have its biggest player – <a href="https://hypebeast.com/2022/8/son-heung-min-calvin-klein-brand-ambassador">Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min</a> – back from injury, bringing global recognition to the squad. The Koreans’ swashbuckling style of play, matched by exuberant fans, tapped perfectly into a national energy which has seen it become a juggernaut of 21st-century popular culture.</p>
<h2>Third place: Morocco</h2>
<p>With a pre-competition football ranking below the top 20, a history of underperformance in big tournaments and no big-name players, expectations were not high. But this World Cup has turned out to be a triumph for Morocco, on and off the pitch. </p>
<p>The joyous, uninhibited way in which the team competed generated considerable soft power value – as did some of the individual players. The sight of midfielder Sofiane Boufal dancing on the <a href="https://egyptianstreets.com/2022/12/14/why-the-recognition-of-moroccan-players-parents-matters/">pitch with his mother</a> after his side’s victory over Portugal was a compelling act of family and togetherness that has resonated with people around the world. Many subsequently adopted the Atlas Lions as their second <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/10/we-are-rocky-regragui-hails-morocco-as-worlds-favourites-after-portugal-win">favourite team</a>. </p>
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<p>Nowhere was this more evident than <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/14/football/morocco-fifa-soccer-world-cup-mime-spt-intl/index.html">across the Arab world</a>, Morocco having progressed further than any other previous team from the Middle East or North Africa. The Moroccan players’ <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/07/football/morocco-palestine-world-cup-spt-intl/index.html">public support for Palestine</a> also helped the team bond with fans from across the region.</p>
<h2>Fourth place: Japan</h2>
<p>Japan won plenty of new fans in Qatar. Just like at the 2018 tournament, Japanese supporters arrived in huge numbers, and again took it upon themselves to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2022/11/24/japanese-fans-win-praise-for-stadium-cleaning-at-world-cup-2022">undertake post-match tidy-ups</a> of the stadiums. Adding to their position as champions of “benign” soft power, the Japanese national team also <a href="https://japantoday.com/category/fifa-world-cup-2022/Japan-World-Cup-team-manners-awesome-as-locker-room-pics-show">cleaned their changing rooms</a> after their matches. </p>
<p>Tidying up has history in Japan. Long before Marie Kondo arrived on the scene, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-long-history-of-japans-tidying-up">de-cluttering and cleaning</a> was part of the national cultural fabric. Tidying up in Qatar reinforced this popular convention and harnessed its soft power potential. </p>
<p>But the tournament wasn’t just about acts of altruism. The team celebrated stunning victories against two of Europe’s football superpowers, Germany and Spain. </p>
<h2>Fifth place: Saudi Arabia</h2>
<p>The Green Falcons headed to Qatar as representatives of a nation widely <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/11/21/democratic-debate-joe-biden-saudi-arabia/">viewed as a pariah</a>. And although the team went out at the group stage, it won many hearts and minds in the process. </p>
<p>A huge number of fans made it to Doha, their congregation before matches <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/27/saudi-fan-culture-arrives-at-world-cup-2">highlighting their appeal</a>. This was further enhanced with a viral social media post showing <a href="https://variety.com/2022/music/news/world-cup-anthem-gala-freed-from-desire-1235455653/">large numbers of supporters dancing</a> to a 1996 pop song after Saudi Arabia beat the eventual champions Argentina. </p>
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<p>And while legitimate concerns remain about Saudi Arabia’s political machinations (not least accusations of sportswashing), events in Qatar showed Saudi citizens in a different and positive light. The travelling fans were humanised by their national passion for football.</p>
<h2>Special mention: Qatar</h2>
<p>From the very moment it submitted its bid to host the World Cup, Qatar has <a href="https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2022/10/26/the-qatar-world-cup-footballing-for-soft-power/">sought to project soft power</a>. The country’s hospitality, the absence of hooligan violence and the vibrant fan zones appear to have worked in its favour. </p>
<p>But it may also find itself disempowered, as concerns about <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/my/soccer/news/protests-qatar-world-cup-2022-migrant-workers-lgbtq-rights/sldz8luazxfdfglvmm9a2p5m">migrant workers and LGBTQ+ rights</a> remain. The test will be how Qatar – the nation and the event it hosted – are talked about in the years to come. For now though, although it may not feel like it for the players and fans, the big soft power win belongs to France.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195867/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some key winners have emerged off the field.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy, SKEMA Business SchoolPaul Widdop, Researcher of Sport Business, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1967702022-12-17T12:56:36Z2022-12-17T12:56:36ZA hat trick of essential reads to accompany the World Cup final<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501631/original/file-20221216-14-ifqqwi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C114%2C4236%2C2440&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">But who will go down as the greatest?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/young-argentina-fan-poses-in-front-of-a-mural-of-lionel-news-photo/1245624718?phrase=Messi%20world%20cup&adppopup=true">Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Soccer fans are just 90 minutes of action away from knowing who will lift the World Cup and be crowned the beautiful game’s global champs. Well, given the refereeing during the tournament in Qatar, it is likely to be 90 minutes plus a few more. Even then, an extra 30 minutes could be added should the game be tied at that stage. And if still level after that, penalties await.</p>
<p>Penalties are unbearably tense. If, like me, you’d rather avert your eyes from the on-pitch drama at that point, then please find below three of the best <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/world-cup-2022-10816">World Cup articles from The Conversation</a> to take your mind off those tense moments.</p>
<h2>1. Messi the GOAT? Wait, don’t forget Maradona!</h2>
<p>On Dec. 18, 2022, Lionel Messi will take what is likely to be his last steps on a World Cup soccer pitch – he may well end his international career lifting aloft the trophy he has coveted over five tournaments, his first being in 2006. </p>
<p>A stellar performance in the final will cement, in the mind of many soccer fans, that Messi really is the greatest player of all time.</p>
<p>But another diminutive Argentinian dribbling wizard lays – at least equal – claim to that title: Diego Maradona.</p>
<p>On the way to captaining his side to World Cup glory in 1986, Maradona gifted the soccer world with memorable moments of genius – none more so than in the quarterfinal against England when he scored the “goal of the century.” But special though that was, the match is remembered for another Maradona goal. Well, a goal claimed by Maradona but with a little help from the “hand of God.”</p>
<p>Stefan Szymanski, a <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/stefan-szymanski">sports economist at the University of Michigan</a>, explains why <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable-193760">that goal will never be forgotten</a> – and what that says about the greatness of Maradona.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable-193760">Why Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal is priceless -- and unforgettable</a>
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<h2>2. Europe vs. South America (again)</h2>
<p>As with every World Cup since the tournament began in 1930, the two finalists come from one or two continents: Europe and South America.</p>
<p>Szymanski, again, has a theory why: Soccer <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cups-middle-income-trap-why-breaking-into-soccers-elite-is-so-hard-to-do-as-morocco-might-soon-find-out-196010">suffers from what economists call “the middle income trap</a>.”</p>
<p>“The idea is that developing nations start to catch up with the developed nations, but then they run into obstacles,” he explains.</p>
<p>Certainly teams from Africa and Asia are doing better than they were and have gained a newfound respect in the global game. But there have been no true breakthrough nations as of yet.</p>
<p>“The obstacle to further progress seems clear,” Szymanski writes. “Europe in particular continues to dominate the competition in which most footballers participate: club football. Players from European nations regularly play for clubs that include the best players from all over the world, ensuring that they are always up to date with the latest developments. Wealthy clubs also means the best facilities.” And because of historical ties to Spain, Italy and Portugal, soccer powerhouses Argentina and Brazil are hard-wired into this network.</p>
<p>The others, by and large, are left out in the cold. Except …</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cups-middle-income-trap-why-breaking-into-soccers-elite-is-so-hard-to-do-as-morocco-might-soon-find-out-196010">World Cup's 'middle income trap' – why breaking into soccer's elite is so hard to do (as Morocco might soon find out)</a>
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<h2>3. A breakthrough year for Africa?</h2>
<p>Morocco had a quite fantastic tournament. They beat Belgium. They beat Spain. They even beat Ronaldo’s Portugal. OK, Morocco lost to France in the semifinal, but going out to the reigning title holders is no great shame. Moreover, in doing so, Morocco became the first African nation to make it to the final four of the World Cup. Quite some achievement for a team that few tipped for glory before the tournament began.</p>
<p>And that <a href="https://theconversation.com/6-moments-in-african-football-in-2022-that-will-be-talked-about-for-years-to-come-193331">wasn’t the only African soccer breakthrough</a> of late. As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xEi0assAAAAJ&hl=en">Howard University’s Chuka Onwumechili</a> notes, 2022 was quite the year for lovers of the round ball in Africa. AFCON, the Africa Cup of Nations, got the year off to a flying start by showcasing the best the continent had to offer. </p>
<p>And the woman’s game made strides in Africa too, with the Confederation of African Football announcing for the first time a prize purse for the African Women’s Champions League. Meanwhile, a new Africa Super League is set to start in 2023. </p>
<p>“In the long term this should help develop stronger, better funded African clubs, better able to keep some top talents at home. If [Confederation of African Football] is able to pull this off, it will be a significant watershed in African football,” Onwumechili notes.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/6-moments-in-african-football-in-2022-that-will-be-talked-about-for-years-to-come-193331">6 moments in African football in 2022 that will be talked about for years to come</a>
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<p><em>Editor’s note: This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversation’s archive.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196770/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
The World Cup is drawing to an end. Will the tournament be remembered for a Messi moment to rival that of Maradona’s? Or as a breakthrough yeah for African nations?Matt Williams, Senior International EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1930532022-12-16T11:30:20Z2022-12-16T11:30:20ZWorld Cup 2022: how a mid-season tournament could affect players psychologically<p>For the first time, we have witnessed a mid-season men’s football world cup. As Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp put it, this is going to be a <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/jurgen-klopp-discusses-man-city-cup-tie-selection-decisions-and-world-cup-impact">“really long season” for players</a>.</p>
<p>With previous world cups, players usually got two to three weeks off before starting their pre-season training for their respective clubs. This allowed for a cushion of several weeks before they started Premier League play. But this year, <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/fixtures?team=FIRST">Premier League fixtures</a> will resume on December 26, only eight days after the World Cup final. So for the teams who advance further in the competition, they will have very little time off before they return to Premier League play. </p>
<p>It’s been reported that many Premiership managers are often apprehensive of players going on international duty due to the <a href="https://www.thisisanfield.com/2021/11/i-hate-international-breaks-jurgen-klopp-reacts-to-liverpools-growing-injury-list/">risk of injury</a> and the knock-on effect this has on their club’s performance. It’s no wonder, especially since research from <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/49/9/599.full.pdf">previous Fifa World Cups</a> shows these tournaments increase the likelihood of injuries to players. It’s thought that a mid-season Fifa World Cup may cause an even greater increase in the likelihood of players suffering <a href="http://repository.essex.ac.uk/33467/1/Zouhal2022_FIFAWC22fitnesschallenges.pdf">injury and over-training</a>.</p>
<p>But <a href="http://repository.essex.ac.uk/33467/1/Zouhal2022_FIFAWC22fitnesschallenges.pdf">physical injury</a> isn’t the only concern for players participating in this year’s World Cup. There are also concerns it could have a greater psychological effect than previous World Cups because of its timing.</p>
<h2>Mental rest</h2>
<p>Former England international footballer Karen Carney has recently written about how Fifa World Cups take <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2022/oct/20/world-cup-months-to-recover-shape-season">months to recover from psychologically</a>. Part of the reason for this is the non-stop schedule that players have. But the emotional investment that many players put into the tournament is also a reason some may feel drained when they return.</p>
<p>Time and time again, we hear football players say it’s their <a href="https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/james-maddison-england-world-cup-7808564">childhood dream</a> to represent their country at a Fifa World Cup. But what is less often talked about is how devastating it can be if you aren’t selected for the team, if your team crashes out of the tournament prematurely, if you suffer an injury early in the tournament or if you end up on the bench for most of the World Cup.</p>
<p>We know that experiences of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10811449908409735?casa_token=_aSaJT4z6WQAAAAA:ZcY5VW_yci69K1YiZcoMKO0UjjSLZY52qW4FcztZEHUn5RgFWuejRwsA9ruf-Vfe5V-ADAMQcADP">injury</a> or <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14660970802601613?casa_token=emnkl2NlZ5sAAAAA:JQ_jDwmL2ZJTYHZV_xzR0WHTEgIsu16LBg3t4xaRBfZrNblok_xfRIxHy33SjStjbAAX5Kt-cSww">de-selection</a> in elite club football can result in feelings of shock, anxiety, fear, depression, anger and humiliation. It can be inferred that similar emotional disturbances may happen for players who experience similar things at the World Cup. </p>
<p>Although at youth World Cup level, a finding in my <a href="https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/10674/1/2019ohalloranphd.pdf">PhD research</a> was that de-selection at the youth World Cup led to high levels of frustration, homesickness and boredom due to having the same training schedule for weeks and no games to break it up. It was even reported that <a href="https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/10674/1/2019ohalloranphd.pdf">arguments broke out among international teammates</a> because of shared frustration felt by players who found their days to be repetitive when they weren’t getting a chance to play. </p>
<p>Another concern is whether players will be able to psychologically rest during the tournament or when they return home before competitive games resume. Even players who are first on the team sheet are probably shouldering huge pressure to perform which can lead to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17461391.2019.1618397">mental fatigue</a>. This psychological state happens as a result of prolonged periods of demanding activity. Symptoms include <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/2165010971/fulltextPDF/756FEBD5ADAA4B2APQ/1?accountid=14693">tiredness and a lack of energy</a> which manifest both <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/2165010971/fulltextPDF/756FEBD5ADAA4B2APQ/1?accountid=14693">physically and psychologically in football players</a>.</p>
<p>This can lead to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17461391.2021.1897165?casa_token=5mSSogHvZmMAAAAA:1Pq6Fq-SxMj8iloDooTrkAmcrTy5_uHuLO7h5ceEiulUnoju6bbVrnOgN34Olf3zNZM4srcBm2B_">impaired physical, technical and tactical performance</a> as mental fatigue can <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/2165010971/fulltextPDF/756FEBD5ADAA4B2APQ/1?accountid=14693">change how players</a> focus, make decisions and react in the moment. It can also make it harder to achieve <a href="https://kar.kent.ac.uk/60767/1/SPOA-D-16-00188_R4.pdf">optimal performance</a>.</p>
<p>Psychological rest from constantly thinking about football is crucial for optimal mental recovery and therefore a player’s <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029219301086?casa_token=EFB0f0bXcaEAAAAA:i_nB4WYPxcjTFL7kA5xHYOU_j5KBJ84aK1KjFnQzfwjKSUwv8lvWPmeAMSQCQApFwqA_5YQ5cQ">overall recovery too</a>. Not recovering mentally can contribute to the onset of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029219301086?casa_token=W6xjyhwqrcMAAAAA:9rdUomqbe8ZfFFbY-kH0gVkiHPv8yunbzMEOfdkK6y6fIevTYAUC7LpuOrxchUyF7jN6VkBfuQ">overtraining syndrome</a>, which can lead to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029219301086?casa_token=W6xjyhwqrcMAAAAA:9rdUomqbe8ZfFFbY-kH0gVkiHPv8yunbzMEOfdkK6y6fIevTYAUC7LpuOrxchUyF7jN6VkBfuQ">fatigue, performance decline and mood disturbances</a>. </p>
<p>A key way to achieve psychological rest is through something known as “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029219301086?casa_token=EFB0f0bXcaEAAAAA:i_nB4WYPxcjTFL7kA5xHYOU_j5KBJ84aK1KjFnQzfwjKSUwv8lvWPmeAMSQCQApFwqA_5YQ5cQ">wakeful rest</a>”. This involves an athlete being able to switch off from thinking about their sport or competition during the day while they’re awake. But this is going to be tough for players to achieve, given the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029219301086?casa_token=EFB0f0bXcaEAAAAA:i_nB4WYPxcjTFL7kA5xHYOU_j5KBJ84aK1KjFnQzfwjKSUwv8lvWPmeAMSQCQApFwqA_5YQ5cQ">limited time available to do so</a> after the World Cup. This means that some players may find themselves out of form when they return to regular-season play.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-how-injuries-could-affect-the-rest-of-the-domestic-and-champions-league-season-193982">World Cup 2022: how injuries could affect the rest of the domestic and Champions League season</a>
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<p>A way of supporting players returning from the World Cup is for their respective clubs to have a <a href="https://eis2win.co.uk/article/performance-decompression-post-games-celebration-and-support/">decompression plan</a> for them. In future, it will be important for Fifa and clubs to consider not only physical recovery but <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10413200.2020.1756526?casa_token=fFgKYInUGF4AAAAA%3AOQy5sUeUA3AnpWERrO4x4_lhpzVf2jLrXSgeg6RnM4PPHJCatixEXL8TGCS7df1rqJrdIjlmI-IT">psychological recovery</a> of players when planning for the aftermath of these tournaments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa O'Halloran does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some Premier League players may only have mere days to recover from the World Cup before returning to regular season play.Lisa O'Halloran, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1939822022-12-15T15:36:51Z2022-12-15T15:36:51ZWorld Cup 2022: how injuries could affect the rest of the domestic and Champions League season<p>The World Cup in Qatar has seen many injuries. Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus had to have <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/12761483/gabriel-jesus-arsenal-forward-undergoes-knee-surgery-after-injury-at-world-cup-with-brazil">surgery on his right knee</a> after being forced off during Brazil’s group stage match against Cameroon. And Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) players and Portugal teammates <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/injured-psg-stars-danilo-nuno-mendes-leave-portugal-world-cup-squad/blte6ed70b91b14b9d5">Danilo and Nuno Mendes</a> were both unable to continue playing in the tournament after the former fractured three ribs and the latter injured his thigh.</p>
<p>There were even some fears that Argentina’s Lionel Messi (also a PSG player) might not appear in the World Cup final after he was seen <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/21/lionel-messi-feeling-good-before-last-chance-to-get-what-we-all-want-so-much">clutching his hamstring</a> during the semi-final against Croatia – but he has since confirmed he is fine.</p>
<p>With the tournament taking place in the middle of many domestic football seasons, club fans may be wondering what impact the injuries and fatigue will have on players when competitions such as the Premier League and Champions League resume.</p>
<p>Premier League fixtures in England restart on December 26, having been on hold for 42 days. While many of this league’s players competed in Qatar, the majority – including two of its biggest stars, Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah – have enjoyed a mid-season rest before resuming training with their clubs.</p>
<h2>What does the research say?</h2>
<p>There is a lot of research that can be drawn on to help us form an idea of how this “winter World Cup” will impact injury incidence in the Premier League and other leagues throughout Europe.</p>
<p>For example, players involved in the French and Argentinian teams that have successfully made it to the World Cup final may play a total of seven games in 28 days. Games played in quick succession with little recovery time have been shown to result in a <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/50/12/764.full.pdf">greater overall risk of injury</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/49/9/599.full.pdf">Other research</a> shows that injury incidence during World Cup competitions ranges from 50.8 to 72.8 injuries per 1,000 hours. This translates to between six and eight injuries for teams who make it to the final stages. And <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40279-020-01411-8.pdf">a study</a> across all international top-flight football activity between 2012 and 2020 found a match and training injury incidence of, respectively, 31.8 and 3.8 injuries per 1,000 hours of play.</p>
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<p>The injury incidence in international football tournaments is consistently higher than what is observed in domestic football (<a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/55/19/1084.full.pdf">23.8 injuries per 1,000 hours</a>). But one reason for this could be cumulative fatigue, as international tournaments normally take place at the end of a long domestic season.</p>
<p>The greater injury incidence could also be attributed to factors such as new forms of training and match-play style that players are unaccustomed to, travel fatigue, and additional physiological and psychological strain experienced during World Cups.</p>
<h2>The benefits of a winter break</h2>
<p>Match-play injury incidence is commonly reported to be around <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/54/12/711.full.pdf">ten-times higher than in training</a>. More specifically, international match injury incidence (<a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40279-020-01411-8.pdf">31.8 injuries per 1,000 hours of play</a>) is considerably higher than domestic training injury incidence (<a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/55/19/1084.full.pdf">3.4 injuries per 1,000 hours</a>). </p>
<p>So the risk of injury for players not appearing in this World Cup is clearly much lower. For them, this period has replicated a “winter break”, which many leagues around the world now incorporate into their domestic seasons. </p>
<p>On average, European teams have a winter break of ten days. Teams who don’t have a winter break suffer a higher incidence of severe injuries – <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/53/19/1231.full.pdf">losing 303 more player-days</a> each season, on average – compared with teams who do get a winter break. This indicates some potential positives for club teams who did not have many players in this World Cup.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the World Cup has enforced a much longer break from match-play for individuals not playing than the usual winter break. A period of 42 days without playing a competitive fixture – as Premier League players have experienced – is unusual for a professional footballer. </p>
<p>So when their season resumes on Boxing Day, matchplay may represent a “spike” in workload intensity due to the demands of games being much higher than training. Sudden spikes in workload underpin an <a href="https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1440244016302304?token=B825BD454C8CA465C0E53C4074F22336C211C264D9B0BAC0664B382EA5F62A1B0EC3AF35AFA2B514D78DD386AECAE14B&originRegion=eu-west-1&originCreation=20221118164551*">increased risk of injury</a>. This may lead to some non-World Cup players being unaccustomed to the nature and demands of playing matches, which may exacerbate their injury risk.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193982/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From factors like the number of extra games to the time non-competing players go on break, having the World Cup in the middle of the domestic season could increase injuries.Ian Varley, Associate professor, Nottingham Trent UniversityBradley Sprouse, Research Assistant in Sport Science, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1933312022-12-14T21:01:17Z2022-12-14T21:01:17Z6 moments in African football in 2022 that will be talked about for years to come<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498014/original/file-20221129-12-csc9v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">South Africa wins the Women's African Cup of Nations in Rabat as the women's game grows.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>2022 was a significant year for African football. It was a benchmark for the women’s game and a year that may mark the first real move into African football as a business rather than football as development. It ended with some thrilling matches at the men’s <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022">World Cup</a> in Qatar, proving the real progress made by teams from African countries.</p>
<p>The first full year of a return to the sport after the COVID pandemic, 2022 has shown that the African game is able to grow and claim its own space in world football beyond the headlines generated by star African players like <a href="https://theconversation.com/superstars-sadio-mane-and-mo-salah-eclipse-african-football-at-home-187183">Mo Salah and Sadio Mané</a> playing for high profile European clubs.</p>
<p>Each of the six key events I’ve noted here presented a watershed moment. We may not all agree on the order, but can be sure they will be talked about for years to come.</p>
<h2>Afcon wins new respect</h2>
<p>Many top African footballers play for clubs in Europe. Late in 2021, the <a href="https://www.ecaeurope.com">European Club Association</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/15/africa-cup-of-nations-to-go-ahead-despite-european-clubs-threat-say-organisers">threatened</a> to prevent key players from representing their countries at the <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/total-africa-cup-of-nations/">Africa Cup of Nations</a> (Afcon) tournament in 2022. They cited COVID-19 problems and conflict with the scheduling of league football in Europe. The Conversation Africa <a href="https://theconversation.com/afcon-demands-global-respect-opens-a-new-chapter-for-african-football-176552">projected</a> that the <a href="https://www.premierleague.com">English Premier League</a> alone stood to lose up to 37 players to Afcon. </p>
<p>But the African countries stood their ground and insisted on the release of the players. Importantly, several key figures in football, including European club manager <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.co.za/patrick-vieira/profil/trainer/20029">Patrick Vieira</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertkidd/2022/01/08/the-african-cup-of-nations-deserves-as-much-respect-as-any-continental-tournament/?sh=493a0c284c4d">demanded</a> that Afcon be respected. In the end, the European clubs bowed and released their players to participate in Africa’s most glamorous football tournament. </p>
<p>Afcon went on to achieve <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/press-release/news/records-numbers-for-totalenergies-africa-cup-of-nations-fan-engagement-tournamen#:%7E:text=Impressions%20across%20all%20channels%20is,visits%20happened%20on%20Twitter%20only.&text=The%20YouTube%20channel%20has%20hit,time%20from%20opening%20to%20finale.&text=300%20million%20video%20views%20..">record numbers</a> in fan engagement, with over 1 billion video views worldwide and unprecedented social media attention. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/afcon-demands-global-respect-opens-a-new-chapter-for-african-football-176552">Afcon demands global respect, opens a new chapter for African football</a>
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<h2>Women’s football scores big</h2>
<p>Club tournament the <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/caf-women-champions-league/">African Women’s Champions League</a> is barely two years old and there was no prize money on offer in 2021. But, in a stunning <a href="https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2022/10/20/caf-unveils-prize-money-womens-champions-league/">announcement</a>, the <a href="https://www.cafonline.com">Confederation of African Football</a> (Caf) offered a purse for 2022. Winners now receive US$400,000 and the runner-up and third-placed teams US$250,000 and US$200,000. These are noteworthy figures, even compared to the prize for a club winning the Women’s Champions League in Europe. There, the <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/womens-champions-league-prize-money-barcelona-lyon/npbhtgbvkhqg8eqri0ruq0ls">published prize</a> for 2022 was US$230,000 or £200,000. ASFAR from Morocco <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/caf-women-champions-league/2022/news/asfar-dethrone-mamelodi-sundowns-to-win-first-caf-women-s-champions-league-title">triumphed</a> over Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa.</p>
<p>The prize money demonstrates a genuine move by Caf to improve women’s football on the continent and it will surely trigger more participation by women in the sport across various African countries. With such interest, media will follow to further raise the game’s profile. </p>
<h2>Africa makes its mark at the World Cup</h2>
<p>Before the 2022 men’s football World Cup, Africa had <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-final-16-african-performances-mark-a-definitive-moment-in-football-195888">previously presented</a> three teams at the quarter final stage – in 1990 (Cameroon), 2002 (Senegal) and 2010 (Ghana). Morocco joined that list in 2022 and then went a step further, making history by becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final. However, Morocco reaching this zenith was not the only story for Africa at the 2022 World Cup. </p>
<p>This World Cup marked the only finals in which Africa had won <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/12702687/world-cup-2022-state-of-play-live-group-tables-results-and-fixtures-in-qatar">eight games</a> in regulation time. The previous highest total was four – in 2002 and 2010. This clearly marks major progress, more than a 75% win increase.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A football team poses in the middle of a field with a bank of cameras taping and photographing them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500387/original/file-20221212-103551-h6rrf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Moroccan team celebrates victory in the quarter-final of the World Cup.</span>
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<h2>Video assistant referees introduced</h2>
<p>Although <a href="https://www.fifa.com/technical/football-technology/football-technologies-and-innovations-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2022/video-assistant-referee-var">video assistant referees</a> are now a common part of global football, referees watching the game on video screens was new at Afcon in 2022. The system was <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-ug/news/afcon-2021-caf-confirms-var-to-be-used-in-all-52-matches-in-cameroon/blt7738c819ec7a536e">used</a> for the first time in the final stage and proved crucial in helping match officials make decisions. </p>
<p>Several games were decided by video analysis following video replays. It was critical in deciding a knockout stage <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1554682/Everton-news-Alex-Iwobi-red-card-Nigeria-AFCON-exit-Tunisia">game</a> between Nigeria and Tunisia, for example. A video replay led to the disqualification of a Nigerian player as his team chased an equalising goal. Although the system has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/var-penalty-kick-scotland-womens-world-cup-2019-6">challenged</a> at other tournaments, it was considered a success at Afcon. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/morocco-vs-south-africa-as-womens-football-enters-a-new-era-187267">Morocco vs South Africa as women's football enters a new era</a>
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<h2>New powers in the women’s game</h2>
<p>Nigeria had <a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-football-in-nigeria-has-a-long-history-of-defiance-154573">dominated</a> African women’s football for so long that for years there was no contest at the continental championship level. However, the hard work of countries like Morocco, South Africa and Ivory Coast has gradually started to <a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-afcon-2022-nigeria-sweats-as-morocco-and-cote-divoire-usher-in-new-era-177844">pay off</a>. </p>
<p>At this year’s <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/totalenergies-womens-africa-cup-of-nations/">Women’s Africa Cup of Nations</a> (Wafcon), Ivory Coast failed to qualify, beaten by Nigeria despite its <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/france2019/teams/1885020">credible performance</a> at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. However, Nigeria found that its dominance at Wafcon had come to an end. Nigeria was eliminated by hosts Morocco at the semi-final stage and then beaten by Zambia in a tough third place game. Morocco, playing eye catching football throughout the tournament, lost to South Africa in the <a href="https://africa.cgtn.com/2022/07/24/south-africa-defeats-morocco-to-win-first-wafcon-title/">final</a>. South Africa had earlier dealt Nigeria a blow at the group stage. </p>
<p>These performances and results demonstrate the spreading of top level talent and teams across the continent. </p>
<h2>A brand new league</h2>
<p>The biggest development of the year, however, has to be Caf’s <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/press-release/news/caf-launches-groundbreaking-africa-super-league">announcement</a> of a new league for African premier clubs, starting in 2023. The lucrative new Africa Super League involves the continent’s best clubs, some countries providing as many as three teams and others none. </p>
<p>This competition is made for TV, designed to generate revenue from deep-pocket sponsors through broadcast rights. The tournament will replace the African Champions League as the continent’s premier club competition and will be dominated by the big North African clubs from Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. With top West African players <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40175150#metadata_info_tab_contents">migrating</a> to Europe and Asia in recent years, the North Africans have dominated. </p>
<p>In the long term this should help develop stronger, better funded African clubs, better able to keep some top talents at home. If Caf is able to pull this off, it will be a significant watershed in African football. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-lucrative-new-african-football-league-is-coming-the-pros-and-cons-188826">A lucrative new African football league is coming: the pros and cons</a>
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<p>Caf’s <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/dr-patrice-motsepe-elected-7th-caf-president-unopposed-in-rabat">new leadership</a>, elected in 2021, came in with an ambitious ten-point plan to revitalise African football. It hasn’t been easy, given the state of finances that it inherited, including the loss of a major sponsorship. Yet, its activities in 2022 have demonstrated the potential to dramatically open new vistas.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193331/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chuka Onwumechili does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There was a significant shift towards African football as a business rather than football as development.Chuka Onwumechili, Professor of Communications, Howard UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1965152022-12-14T10:48:01Z2022-12-14T10:48:01ZQatar lobbying: European Parliament scandal shows urgent need for tighter regulations<p>On 11 December, Eva Kaili, vice-president of the European Parliament, and three others were <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/mep-kaili-charged-with-corruption-by-belgian-prosecutors-reports/">charged and imprisoned</a> in connection with an investigation into suspected corruption linked to Qatar.</p>
<p>Ms Kaili, a Greek Socialist MP in charge of relations with the Middle East, had recently <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-9-2022-11-21-INT-1-137-0000_EN.html">explained to her peers</a> that Qatar was “at the forefront of labour law” and its will to host the football World Cup signalled substantial democratic progress. Any elected representative critical of Qatar were engaging in “harassment”, she said.</p>
<p>On Saturday 10 December, Belgian police found bags of cash (<a href="https://greekreporter.com/2022/12/10/qatar-corruption-scandal-cash-found-greek-mep-kaili/">at least 600,000 euros</a>) at her home after intercepting her father with a large suitcase full of money, which he was about to take back to Greece. Another Socialist MP, the Belgian <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/belgian-mep-marc-tabella-cops-raid-belgian-meps-home-amid-qatar-scandal/">Marc Tarabella</a>, is also implicated. As vice-chairman of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula, he recently said that Qatar was <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/qatar-world-cup-2022-human-rights-labor-laws-football-emmanuel-macron-gianni-infantino/">“an example to follow”</a> for other countries in the region.</p>
<p>This case cannot be said to be typical of what happens in the European Parliament. Indeed, the institution has never before been confronted with a corruption scandal of this magnitude. But the revelations act nevertheless as a wake-up call that illustrates two phenomena.</p>
<h2>Qatar’s methods under scrutiny</h2>
<p>The news shatters the narrative that <a href="https://www.qna.org.qa/fr-FR/News-Area/News/2022-09/15/l%E2%80%99entretien-de-son-altesse-avec-le-magazine-fran%C3%A7ais-le-point">Qatari authorities</a> and some of their supporters have been trying to weave for years – and even more so since the start of the World Cup competition – that the country is now ethically irreproachable.</p>
<p>If the accusations are proven, it would confirm suspicions that the country’s autocrats have long whitewashed its image in a bid to boost their <a href="https://www.lenouveleconomiste.fr/christian-chesnot-le-qatar-en-100-questions-95494/">international investment strategy</a> and develop business partnerships.</p>
<p>To date, Qatar has not shown that it is hosting the World Cup to learn from the ideas of fans from liberal democracies or to moderate its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Qatar/Government-and-society">highly conservative society</a>. Instead, the country’s leaders have been concentrating on <a href="https://theathletic.com/2976035/2022/11/22/explained-david-beckham-ambassador-for-qatar/">hiring consultants and spokespersons</a> and inviting influential figures to Doha to attend the celebrations.</p>
<p>If confirmed by the courts, the scandal could open up a Pandora’s box of corruption among the country’s political, administrative, economic and media elites. Meanwhile, the French justice system continues to investigate the conditions under which the World Cup was awarded to the monarchy, including an infamous <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/18/sarkozy-psg-bein-sports-questions-michel-platini-qatar-2022-world-cup">lunch between then-president Nicolas Sarkozy and Qatari elites</a> in November 2010.</p>
<h2>Calls for change at the European Parliament</h2>
<p>This alleged scandal also illustrates the need for change and reform in the European Parliament.</p>
<p>Numerous cases revealed by the press show that the <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/12/calls-for-eu-lobbying-rules-to-be-reformed-grow-as-corruption-scandal-rocks-brussels">pressure of lobbies on its members</a> increases along with MEPs’ responsibilities and influence. The presence and activities of lobbyists are already <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/en/transparency/lobby-groups/">heavily regulated at the level of the European institutions</a> by comparison with many Member States, but the law and practice must constantly evolve to adapt to their renewed strategies.</p>
<p>We also need to create an environment that keeps lobbies and less ethically minded politicians at bay. For example, it is not right that MEPs should be able to work as <a href="https://euobserver.com/world/153221">consultants or lawyers in the margins of their mandate</a>, and that emissaries from non-EU countries should not be obliged to register in the <a href="https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/service-standards-and-principles/transparency/transparency-register_fr">transparency register</a> that is required of all other people who intend to frequent the European institutions.</p>
<p>It is also high time that MEPs declare all the people they meet in the course of their work, and that rules limit the work they do once they have left the European Parliament. Finally, it is essential that the parties pay more attention to the honesty of candidates for the European Parliament, and that the EU has an independent ethics committee with broad powers of investigation and sanction.</p>
<p>The European Parliament has been debating these issues for 30 years now, and many NGOs, think tanks and experts have made <a href="https://www.anticor.org/2019/02/12/les-propositions-danticor-pour-les-elections-europeennes-2019/">suggestions in this area</a>. Progress has been made, but at a pace too slow to circumvent the most unprincipled lobbyists and greedy MEPs.</p>
<h2>Lessons for the future</h2>
<p>Of course, no law will ever prevent corrupt parliamentarians from selling their influence to the highest bidder. But if the European Parliament were to fight abuses more firmly, if transparency, probity and ethics were at the heart of its work organisation, then the institution would stop attracting dishonest people and political parties would no longer take the risk of sending them there. Corruptors would also be more cautious in how they act.</p>
<p>It is also essential for European and national authorities let justice be done, and that the protagonists of the Qatari corruption scandal are will no longer be in positions of influence.</p>
<p>Finally, the relativism that underpins the EU’s foreign policy must be fought. Not all outside countries are friends, and not all their representatives behave in an acceptable manner. Some countries don’t hesitate to employ unscrupulous methods when working with European partners – and denial is not an appropriate response to such behaviour.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196515/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Olivier Costa is a member of France's Observatory of Public Ethics</span></em></p>The ongoing corruption scandal in the EU Parliament casts a harsh light both on the practices of Qatar and on some of the flaws in the EU institutions.Olivier Costa, Directeur des Études politiques au Collège d'Europe, Directeur de recherche au CNRS, CEVIPOF, Sciences Po Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1964842022-12-14T03:16:57Z2022-12-14T03:16:57ZMorocco are the first-ever African semifinalists of the World Cup. Here’s what geographical data tell us about this result<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup">2022 FIFA World Cup</a> has certainly attracted plenty of negative press, with scandal from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/sports/soccer/qatar-and-russia-bribery-world-cup-fifa.html">bidding process</a> through to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/61635340">tournament itself</a>. Yet out of this negativity, one positive storyline has arisen.</p>
<p>With victories over two recent European champions – Spain and Portugal – <a href="https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-morocco-defy-odds-again-glorious-win-africa-football-roanaldo-haters">Morocco have become the first African nation</a> to reach the last four of the World Cup.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fifas-mirage-of-unity-why-the-world-cup-is-a-vessel-for-political-protest-195432">FIFA's mirage of unity: why the World Cup is a vessel for political protest</a>
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<h2>Mapping a path to the final</h2>
<p>Could the location of the tournament itself partially explain the Moroccans’ surprise progress? When an Asian side – <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2022/11/15/profile-fifa-world-cup-2002">South Korea in 2002</a> - similarly broke the duopoly of Europe and the Americas, it was on home soil. </p>
<p>An African squad would have made it to the semifinals 12 years ago in the first World Cup to be hosted on that continent, if not for <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/au/soccer/news/why-luis-suarez-villain-ghana-handball-2010-world-cup/hh3m3nhx6ucwaipisc58wwn4">one of the most infamously unsporting acts</a> in the game’s history, at the <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/world-cups-101-most-memorable-moments-luis-suarez-robs-ghana-of-history">hands (literally) of Uruguay’s Luis Suarez</a>.</p>
<p>Now the World Cup is played in the Arab world for the first time and, perhaps not coincidentally, we are seeing a nation from the region reach unprecedented heights.</p>
<h2>Geography could matter more than we think</h2>
<p>In 21 previous tournaments, only three teams have lifted the trophy without being either hosts or a prior champion. One of those – West Germany in 1954 – <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/the-miracle-of-bern-west-germanys-run-to-1954-world-cup-win/a-52870532">did so in a neighbouring country</a>.</p>
<p>Before 2010, no European nation had won the tournament outside Europe and only one non-European nation had <a href="https://historyofsoccer.info/1958-world-cup">won on the continent</a>.</p>
<p>This trend is also seen in continental competitions. The European Championships’ two biggest shocks were <a href="https://sport.optus.com.au/articles/os26723/the-incredible-story-of-how-denmark-won-euro-92-without-qualifying">Denmark’s 1992 success after initially failing to qualify</a>, and the 2004 championship of <a href="https://www.planetsport.com/soccer/features/against-all-odds-how-greece-won-euro-2004">rank outsiders Greece</a>. The Danes’ victory came in another Scandinavian nation, and the Greek success was in another Mediterranean country.</p>
<p>Of course, none of this is directly causal. The Moroccans have certainly not reached this lofty stage <em>because</em> the tournament is in a fellow Arab country. As a low-scoring, complex team game, football is one of the <a href="https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/football-goal-random-13062021/">hardest sports to predict</a> and every little advantage, even as small as being in a comparable climate, could tip the balance of a game one way or another.</p>
<h2>Parallels with other nations</h2>
<p>When looking at historical data, the clearest predictor of which sides may be primed to perform better than ever before is their latitude relative to the tournament host. For example, Paraguay’s best run was in South Africa in 2010, at similar latitude, rather than in geographically closer South American nations further south. </p>
<p>Of the 39 nations to reach the tournament at least six times, 23 of those have never bettered their performance at the tournament closest to their home latitude. Almost three-quarters of sides’ best tournaments involved travel less than 10 degrees either north or south.</p>
<iframe src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/12164051/embed" title="Interactive or visual content" class="flourish-embed-iframe" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%;height:2000px;" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<div style="width:100%!;margin-top:4px!important;text-align:right!important;"><a class="flourish-credit" href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/12164051/?utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=visualisation/12164051" target="_top"><img alt="Made with Flourish" src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/made_with_flourish.svg"> </a></div>
<p>With Doha less than nine degrees north of the Moroccan capital Rabat, only three other competing nations lie closer to the latitude of Qatar. Two of those have enjoyed historic wins during the earlier group stage of the tournament: <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/sport/20221130-live-france-take-on-tunisia-in-last-world-cup-group-stage-match">Tunisia defeated the reigning champions</a>, and <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/world-cup-soccer/saudi-arabia-pull-off-impossible-with-win-over-argentina-in-one-of-the-biggest-upsets-in-world-cup-history-c-8937944">Saudi Arabia took down one of this year’s finalists</a>.</p>
<h2>The “world” game?</h2>
<p>Even with its huge global appeal, football has been historically slanted towards Europe and the Americas, which may have stifled progress of the game in other regions. </p>
<p>Despite its numerous ongoing flaws, the administration has come a long way since the absurd situation in 1958 when the one place designated for a team from the Asian and African regions was <a href="https://magazine.faw.cymru/en/07/bizarre-twists-fate-behind-1958-world-cup-qualification/">taken by Wales</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/morocco-at-the-2022-world-cup-6-forces-behind-a-history-making-performance-196359">Morocco at the 2022 World Cup: 6 forces behind a history-making performance</a>
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<p>Morocco’s fairytale run should certainly be seen as a huge positive for the game in North Africa, in particular. There do remain numerous “blind spots” in where tournaments have been held.</p>
<p>Rio de Janeiro, where the 1950 and 2010 finals were held, lies within one degree of the Tropic of Capricorn. Amazingly, if you travel north from there, you will only find one World Cup final venue (Mexico City) south of Doha.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.jcu.edu.au/state-of-the-tropics/why-do-the-tropics-matter#:%7E:text=Currently%20around%2040%25%20of%20the,will%20live%20in%20the%20region.">Around 40% of the world’s population</a> live between the tropics. This proportion is only increasing, but the game remains dominated by nations outside this region. </p>
<p>It could be argued that the countries most impacted by this geographic bias are African. Nations such as Cameroon and Nigeria have frequently qualified for the World Cup in recent decades, but have never played in a tournament within a 20-degree latitude from home. This would never be the case for a European side.</p>
<p>There was set to be a tournament in a more equatorial region in 1986. When <a href="https://scorum.com/en-us/football/@thedreamteam/colombia-1986-the-world-cup-that-never-was">Colombia backed out of hosting</a> less than a year prior, few would have believed that four decades later, the game would still not have revisited this part of the globe.</p>
<h2>A sporting chance</h2>
<p>Criticisms of the process and politics underlying the 2022 World Cup cannot be overlooked, but the decision to broaden the geographic footprint of host nations can at least be seen as a positive step towards a more reasonable distribution of sporting advantage.</p>
<p>No on-field results will (nor should) lessen the valid criticisms surrounding this tournament, but it would be a shame for the historic achievement for African football to be overlooked.</p>
<p>We can’t definitively know how much of a role geographic proximity played in the Moroccan story, but the case for breaking European and American hegemony over the game is surely established beyond doubt.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-crunching-150-years-of-big-data-to-predict-the-winner-196418">World Cup 2022: crunching 150 years of big data to predict the winner</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196484/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Woodcock does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Football is one of the hardest sports to predict – but there are some fascinating geographical clues when we look at the latitudes of past performers and their ultimate success.Stephen Woodcock, Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1964182022-12-12T17:52:28Z2022-12-12T17:52:28ZWorld Cup 2022: crunching 150 years of big data to predict the winner<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500469/original/file-20221212-113843-qh64s7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C25%2C3402%2C2235&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">France's goalkeeper #01 Hugo Lloris (C) jumps for the ball during the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarter-final football match between England and France at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha, on December 10, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://news.afp.com/#/c/main/search/photos?id=newsml.afp.com.20221210T210326Z.doc-33362bz&type=photo">Jewel Samad/AFP</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Perhaps more than any recent World Cup, this year’s competition in Qatar has thrown up considerable surprises. Who indeed, of the analytics crowd, could have predicted Saudi Arabia would defeat Argentina the way it did, or competition-favourite Brazil would end up losing to Croatia? Meanwhile, Morocco has stunned commentators by becoming <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/10/football/morocco-portugal-quarterfinals-world-cup-2022-spt-intl/index.html">the first African nation to reach semi-finals</a>. Now, almost a week away from the final, speculation is about who will win the game is at its apex. Is there any way we could predict the results better than we did by “following the science”? </p>
<h2>150 years of big data</h2>
<p>In collaboration with analytics company <a href="https://www.alteryx.com/">Alteryx</a> and Stirling University , our team at Audencia has given its best shot by developing a sophisticated World Cup prediction model drawing from 150 years of international football match results, including tournaments and friendly games. </p>
<p>While developing our initial mathematical model, we considered factors such as win ratio, goals scored, and overall match results. To further improve the accuracy of our prediction, we took into account individual teams’ current FIFA ranking and overall rating. We also added <a href="https://www.fifaratings.com/">FIFA player ratings</a> along with individual player skills and attribute scores (i.e., attack, movement, power, defence). This allows fine adjustments in our modelling technique based on individual player selection and injuries during later stages.</p>
<p>With the existing data as a <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-machine-learning-76759">machine-learning training mechanism</a>, we employed <a href="https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/random-forest">Random Forest algorithm</a> to predict results for every World Cup fixture. Using the <a href="https://www.alteryx.com/">Alteryx</a> data analysis platform, we calculated the overall outcome of individual games along with <a href="https://understat.com/">expected goals</a> (xG) per team per match. Overall, our model showed 60% to 70% accuracy rate in the course of the training and testing phase. In data science language, this is considered to be a range of accuracy that is acceptable to good in predicting the outcome of an event.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500407/original/file-20221212-109624-4pofku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500407/original/file-20221212-109624-4pofku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500407/original/file-20221212-109624-4pofku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500407/original/file-20221212-109624-4pofku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500407/original/file-20221212-109624-4pofku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500407/original/file-20221212-109624-4pofku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500407/original/file-20221212-109624-4pofku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Importance and ranking of key data variables used for match prediction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Group stage, knockout stage and the winner</h2>
<p>Applying the model to the FIFA World Cup 2022 group stage fixtures produced some interesting and unexpected results. We ran the simulation through 500 different sets of probabilities to verify the accuracy of these predictions. Our algorithm successfully predicted the qualifications of 11 teams, including Senegal and Morocco, reflecting 68.7% accuracy.</p>
<p><strong>Group stage result prediction</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=227&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=227&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=227&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500457/original/file-20221212-113720-4pofku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>After the start of the knockout stage, we reset the results and ran the simulation mimicking the original knockout fixtures. The new analysis also took into account player performance during this World Cup and likely player selection during each match. During the round of 16 predictions, our algorithm predicted seven correct match result outcomes, reflecting 87.5% accuracy. The only shock result was Morocco’s win over Spain, which we couldn’t capture appropriately.</p>
<p><strong>Round of 16 results (predicted vs actual)</strong></p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=181&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=181&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500458/original/file-20221212-105279-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=181&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2022-predictor-wallchart-football-bracket-predictions/">Developed using The Telegraph Wallchart</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>In the simulation of the quarter finals, once again, we revised the algorithm considering quarterfinal fixtures and individual player’s performance during the World Cup. This time our algorithm only came out with 50% accuracy, failing to predict Brazil’s exit and Morocco’s triumph over Portugal. The tournament and fan’s favourite, Brazil’s loss to Croatia was a result of their failure to create early scoring chances. Morocco and Croatia’s persistent resistance leading to elimination of bigger team show that this World Cup has favoured teams who were well organised with their defence.</p>
<p>Another important aspect of this world cup is penalty shootout success. Big teams like Spain and Brazil fell due to poor penalty performance.</p>
<p><strong>Quarter-final results (predicted vs actual)</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=69&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=69&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=69&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=87&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=87&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=87&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2022-predictor-wallchart-football-bracket-predictions/">Developed using The Telegraph Wallchart</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Similarly, England fell short as Harry Kane lost a second decisive penalty kick against France. Looking at these emerging statistics, it seems teams that can keep their goalkeepers in top forms and have a good penalty squad are likely to win the World Cup. </p>
<p>Despite having the best shot saving goalkeeper, Argentina is likely to be at disadvantage in the semi-finals due to two key player suspensions, <a href="https://www.football.london/international-football/argentina-netherlands-fifa-messi-paredes-25722319">Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel</a>. The suspension of <a href="https://www.football.london/international-football/world-cup-yellow-card-rules-25702167">Walid Cheddira</a> will also put Morocco at a disadvantage against France.</p>
<p><strong>Semi-final results (predicted)</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=69&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=69&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=69&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=87&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=87&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500459/original/file-20221212-110120-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=87&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2022-predictor-wallchart-football-bracket-predictions/">Developed using The Telegraph Wallchart</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Both France and Argentina have boasted tough opposition with excellent defence and goal conceding records in this World Cup. If the semi-final games end in a penalty shootout then Croatia and Morocco will have a greater chance to reach the final.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500461/original/file-20221212-110235-xogfk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Based on current records, our big data driven prediction indicates that the final of the FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to be played between two-time winner France and their opponent, Argentina, on 18 December at <a href="https://www.qatar2022.qa/en/tournament/stadiums/lusail-stadium">Lusail Stadium</a>, Qatar. </p>
<p>France is predicted to be the first defending champions of the modern era since Brazil defended theirs in 1962, bringing joy to the country’s 67 million residents and its diaspora around the world. If these two teams make it to the final, then France is likely to be the favourite given their squad’s make-up and better defensive history in the course of the knockout stages.</p>
<p><strong>Final (predicted)</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=106&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=106&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=106&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=134&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=134&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500462/original/file-20221212-110747-xzjqgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=134&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2022-predictor-wallchart-football-bracket-predictions/">Developed using The Telegraph Wallchart</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If the final games goes to the penalty stage, Argentina will hold the advantage given its recent records and its <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/63925007">goalkeeper</a>. While a superb attacker, France’s Kylian Mbappé has only a <a href="https://theathletic.com/3978749/2022/12/09/world-cup-penalty-saves-success/">75% penalty conversion</a> success rate.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=96&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=96&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=96&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=120&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=120&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500464/original/file-20221212-108656-8w73ee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=120&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Historic penalty shoot-out success from semi-final onwards.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Croatia is predicted to be third in the competition.</p>
<h2>Prediction validity and big surprises</h2>
<p>It is impossible to achieve 100% accuracy in predicting game outcomes, particularly in a tournament that is played at the highest level. Additional factors such as venue, host country weather, timing of the tournament, referee judgement, <a href="https://www.fifa.com/technical/football-technology/football-technologies-and-innovations-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2022/video-assistant-referee-var">video assistant referee</a> (VAR) interventions, squad formation, in-game tactical switches, and player concentration and stamina all play a huge role in producing the final outcome. These elements are relatively new to sports science and we are still unsure about how to apply them as influential statistical factors in an algorithm. </p>
<p>For example, VAR played a major role in Argentina’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/60976486">shock defeat against Saudi Arabia</a> and may eventually cause to Leonel Messi never lifting the world cup in his lifetime. Similarly, <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/japan-beat-germany-in-second-world-cup-shock-result-12753940">Japan’s victory over Germany</a> was a result of in-game tactics that the German players may not have expected. This World Cup promises to be exciting with lots of hidden surprises. We will have to wait until 18 December to find out who will be raising the trophy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196418/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>After Brazil’s exit, who might be on course to win in 2022? Experts crunch 150 years of big data to predict the winner.Ronnie Das, Associate professor in Digital and Data Science, AudenciaWasim Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Digital Business, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1953732022-12-12T12:12:23Z2022-12-12T12:12:23ZNigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup 2022 – blame their disdain for football school structures and development<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499028/original/file-20221205-18-411sv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/nigeria-starting-team-poses-during-the-friendly-football-news-photo/1244866232?phrase=nigeria%20-ghana%20football%20game%20%202022&adppopup=true">Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Nigeria’s national men’s football team is absent from this year’s <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022">World Cup in Qatar</a>. It is only the second time since its first appearance in the tournament in 1994 that the Super Eagles failed to qualify. Sports scientist and FIFA physical fitness instructor Isiaka Oladele Oladipo explains why the team missed out and what it must do to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.</em></p>
<h2>Why didn’t Nigeria qualify for the 2022 World Cup?</h2>
<p>It was not a day’s failure. It started a while before we played the last qualifying game with Ghana. </p>
<p>When we drew the first leg in Ghana 0-0, we knew that we must win in Nigeria. But <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/629217">we lost</a> and, with the away goal rules, we lost out. We didn’t take the away goals rules very seriously. We need to educate ourselves better on those rules. If the players are not aware of these sorts of rules, Nigeria should forget about qualifying for World Cups.</p>
<p>Nigeria recently got a new <a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/11/fec-approves-national-sports-industry-policy/">national sports industrial policy</a>. One chapter is about sports and education, which will help players and coaches become better educated about the rules.</p>
<p>Education more broadly is an issue too. There isn’t enough emphasis on school sports. Some parents will scold their children for playing sport, saying this distracts them from their schooling. And many of even the country’s most renowned schools don’t have good sports arenas.</p>
<p>If we don’t have an environment that is conducive for children to play and exercise, then the future will not be rosy for our football. For a new player to get to play in the World Cup he must have put in place <a href="http://ir.library.ui.edu.ng/bitstream/123456789/595/1/%2822%29%20ui_art_oladipo_perceived_2009.pdf">a minimum of 10 years’ practice</a>. This is also true for <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355437622_Talent_Identification_and_Development_in_Sports_Performance">the Olympics</a>: you need 10 years’ training to win a medal. Some players in the current World Cup are 19; that means they have been playing football in conducive environments from age nine. Those are the things we need to think about. </p>
<h2>There aren’t any Nigerian referees at the World Cup either. Why is this so?</h2>
<p>This is a huge question – and it’s not new. No Nigerian referee has officiated at the World Cup. In 2014 Peter Egan Edibi was shortlisted for the World Cup in Brazil as an assistant referee <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/nigeria/sunday-trust/20140420/282368332637366">but was not on the final list</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/479950.aspx">At this World Cup</a>, there are six referees, 10 assistant referees and two video assistant referees from Africa, but no Nigerian. I studied this issue <a href="https://educ.ui.edu.ng/sites/default/files/Oladipo.CV__1.pdf">in my PhD in 2000</a>. I discovered that sports managers in Nigeria think they can play politics to have a slot in such appointments. They don’t believe in scientific preparation for referees to reach such status.</p>
<p>These issues are still relevant today.</p>
<p>During my time as a referee, we were inspired by two great FIFA referees, <a href="https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/sports/89897/day-ranchers-fans-almost-killed-me-linus-mba.html">Linus Mba</a> and <a href="https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/04/06/former-fifa-referee-okubule-is-dead/">Bolaji Okubule</a>. <a href="https://thenationonlineng.net/festus-okubule-why-i-was-nicknamed-show-boy-as-a-referee/">In 1983</a>, Okubule became the first Nigerian referee at a FIFA tournament when he was picked for the FIFA Youth Championship (now FIFA U-20 World Cup) in Mexico. We saw the way they moved on the field and this instilled passion in us for football officiating. But these days we have referees who are attracted by money or just to enter the field or stadium free of charge. </p>
<p>As a FIFA physical fitness instructor, I’ve come across referees without passion and you see it in their low level of concentration. Football is a dynamic game with the rules changing every day. When our referees do not keep up with those rules, it is tough to select them. And the less time you get on international stages, the less likely you are to be identified for future tournaments.</p>
<p>We need to prepare our referees very well and developmental programmes at different age levels must be set out for such roles. Materials, equipment and modern facilities must also be in place. We are lagging behind in those areas. </p>
<h2>What are the implications of Nigeria missing out?</h2>
<p>Many business owners in Qatar <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2022/6/30/cost-of-nigerias-failure-to-qualify-for-qatar-world-cup-2022">planned for Nigerian fans</a> during the World Cup. I’ve been to Qatar in the past and I worked a little bit in one of their best stadiums, Aspire Dome, and many there are disappointed that we are not there. So we lost opportunities to showcase our culture there. I know that many travel agents too had travel packages for fans to go to Qatar. Those business opportunities have been lost too. </p>
<p>We have also dropped in FIFA rankings and that could affect us in future games as we might get difficult games. We are also missing out on the money countries at the World Cup will get and our football will feel that. Even for those of us in academia, many of us plan to go into research concerning that competition, but since we are not there as a country, it’s a setback in how we conduct such research.</p>
<h2>What should Nigeria do to qualify for the 2026 World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US?</h2>
<p>To get to the World Cup, you have to train for at least 10 years consistently. That means we should be preparing for the World Cup that is coming up in 10 years’ time. </p>
<p>Let us identify those areas where we are having problems and tackle them. Let us see how our <a href="https://youthandsports.ng/federal-executive-council-approves-national-sports-industry-policy/">new sports policy</a> can help us in working towards that goal. Let us have a developmental programme at each grade. Let us focus more on development of research centres in our universities, especially sports development. </p>
<p>It is bad that some constituencies, like school sports, were removed from the composition of <a href="https://web.facebook.com/nigeriafootball/?_rdc=1&_rdr">Nigeria Football Federation</a>. Nigeria School Sports Federation manages sports at primary and post-primary schools in the country. They are no longer part of the football federation.</p>
<p>Nigeria’s football structures need to link up with schools, from primary education to secondary education to higher institutions, and build diverse support. This will help the country to develop good players and intelligent coaches.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195373/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isiaka Oladele Oladipo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>To qualify for the World Cup, Nigeria’s football structures need to link up with schools and build diverse support.Isiaka Oladele Oladipo, Professor of Sports and Exercise Physiology, University of IbadanLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1955822022-12-07T17:41:45Z2022-12-07T17:41:45ZWhy sports sponsorship is unlikely to save cryptocurrency firms from ‘crypto winter’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499532/original/file-20221207-4016-dw8lkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=210%2C108%2C3973%2C2726&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena -- home to the LA Lakers basketball team -- was known as Staples Center when sponsored by the US office supplies retailer.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/los-angeles-november-2022-crypto-arena-2233395419">Pamela Brick / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you have been watching the Fifa World Cup in Qatar closely, you will have noticed the advertising on the hoardings around the pitch. Alongside the usual names – Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa – there are some new ones, including <a href="https://crypto.com/company-news/crypto-com-unveiled-as-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-official-sponsor">Crypto.com</a>, the Singapore-based cryptocurrency and payment platform. </p>
<p>Crypto firms’ <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-crypto-celebrity-endorsements/">use of celebrities</a> has become notorious of late but many are also starting to sponsoring sports events, teams and venues. It’s not a new phenomenon for industries to rely heavily on sponsorship as a communications strategy. Tobacco led the way in the 1990s, then beer brands took the lead, followed by telecommunications, airlines and sports betting companies more recently. </p>
<p>But investing heavily in sports sponsorship may not be the best way for individual firms to build strength. This is especially the case as crypto companies continue to succumb to the “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/investing/cryptocurrency/what-is-crypto-winter/">crypto winter</a>”, with market values falling dramatically and firms <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/12/05/bybit-to-lay-off-30-of-staff-amid-crypto-winter">laying off staff</a>.</p>
<p>In October, publicly listed <a href="https://www.sporttechie.com/nba-signs-coinbase-as-exclusive-cryptocurrency-sponsor#:%7E:text=Coinbase%20has%20signed%20a%20multi,2K%20League%20and%20USA%20Basketball.">cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase signed</a> a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/01/crypto-deals-help-fuel-nba-sponsorship-money-to-1point6-billion-.html#:%7E:text=Among%20the%20NBA's%20crypto%20deals,and%20merchandise%2C%20according%20to%20IEG.">reported US$192 million (£157 million)</a> four-year deal to become the exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner of the NBA, WNBA and various other basketball leagues. Last year, Crypto.com <a href="https://frontofficesports.com/behind-the-scenes-of-the-blockbuster-crypto-com-arena-deal/">paid US$700 million</a> for the largest naming rights deal in sports history to rename the Staples Center in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Blockchain.com now <a href="https://news.bitcoin.com/blockchain-com-inks-multi-year-deal-with-dallas-cowboys-star-quarterback-dak-prescott/">sponsors the quarterback of US NFL team the Dallas Cowboys</a>. As its “exclusive digital asset partner”, the crypto company said the player, Dak Prescott, would appear in television ads, signage and radio spots to bring his “personal brand firepower to introduce crypto to a broader audience”. </p>
<p>It isn’t just American sports that cryptocurrency companies have been sponsoring. Crypto platform Tezos <a href="https://www.manutd.com/en/partners/global/tezos">sponsors Manchester United soccer kits</a>. Professional golfer Ian Poulter has <a href="https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/liv-golfs-poulter-strikes-okx-sponsorship-deal/#:%7E:text=English%20golfer%20Ian%20Poulter%20has,at%20St%20Andrews%20in%20Scotland.">struck a sponsorship deal</a> with cryptocurrency exchange OKX. And 80% of <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-01/crypto-s-hold-on-formula-1-sponsoring-gets-tested-in-singapore#:%7E:text=Around%2080%25%20of%20F1%20teams,OKX%20sponsored%20Formula%20One%20racecar.&text=Zak%20Brown%2C%20head%20of%20McLaren,new%20sponsor%20or%20trend%20emerges.">Formula 1 teams</a> have at least one cryptocurrency sponsor. Now one of the largest sports shows on earth, the Fifa men’s World Cup, is getting in on the act.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1600074963381325825"}"></div></p>
<p>There are a couple of reasons why cryptocurrency companies are increasingly sponsoring big sporting events, teams and arenas recently:</p>
<h2>Sports often have a vast global audience</h2>
<p>Cryptocurrency brands are using the massive reach of sports to grow awareness of a relatively new industry. The cryptocurrency industry wants to educate people about these complex products, but also humanise the intimidating technology aspect. </p>
<p>One way to do that is to get a well-known (and loved) athlete, team or area to endorse a product. Several <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/327152326.pdf">studies</a> have shown that celebrities can influence consumer choices, <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/268591256.pdf">depending on the product</a> involved. Interestingly, some research shows <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/345088323.pdf">technology is better promoted by experts</a>.</p>
<p>But a classic example of successful sports sponsorship is when <a href="https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/what-contract-details-michael-jordan-nike-all-need-know">Nike sponsored Michael Jordan</a> in rookie season in 1984 in a deal worth US$500,000 a year, a huge amount at the time. The company’s goal at the time was to make <a href="https://fadeawayworld.net/nba-media/in-1984-nike-hoped-to-make-3-million-in-jordan-sales-during-4-years-in-2022-they-make-3-million-selling-jordans-every-5-hours">US$3 million</a> in Jordan sales over four years. Nike rapidly became the most popular shoe brand in the US after this deal and today makes that amount every five hours.</p>
<h2>Sports fans align with crypto’s target market</h2>
<p>Cryptocurrency companies are sponsoring sports where the demographic of the events matches their users. Traditionally, firms would use adverts to promote their products, but in today’s market many sports are shown on paid, online streaming services with no adverts. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/media/trackers/do-brits-pay-attention-to-tv-ads">recent UK poll</a> found that only 4% of TV viewers are very likely to pay attention to adverts. So cryptocurrency firms may get more attention by advertising on kits, hoardings or stadiums.</p>
<p>Avid sports fans are <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1018814/sports-fans-usa-gender/">typically male</a> and below the <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1018802/sports-fans-usa-age/">age of 44</a>. Recent figures have shown that <a href="https://bitcoinist.com/google-analytics-bitcoin-demographics/">90%</a> of cryptocurrency users are also white males, while <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1018802/sports-fans-usa-age/">94%</a> of crypto buyers are under 40 years old. These reports are supported by research that surveyed a group of German investors and found that cryptocurrency users tend to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162521005059#tbl0002">young and male</a>, but also well educated and well off.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two young white men holding a phone and cheering." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499317/original/file-20221206-15-z5d85z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499317/original/file-20221206-15-z5d85z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499317/original/file-20221206-15-z5d85z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499317/original/file-20221206-15-z5d85z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499317/original/file-20221206-15-z5d85z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499317/original/file-20221206-15-z5d85z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499317/original/file-20221206-15-z5d85z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Are they cheering their sports team or checking their crypto wallets?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-excited-friends-roommates-watching-tv-453616765">Antonio Guillem</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Does it work?</h2>
<p>Returns from sports deals are difficult to measure, plus industry figures argue that <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/hundreds-millions-spent-marketing-crypto-sports-fans-wasted/">cryptocurrency firms need to be strategic</a> when it comes to investing in other firms, but also in the type of sponsorship they go for. Slapping a logo on anything may not be a great strategy, but integrating the industry into the sporting world could boost recognition among its core market and lead to long-term success.</p>
<p>Cryptocurrencies have been the news recently with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cryptocurrencies-why-binances-failed-ftx-rescue-deal-could-mean-crypto-winter-is-coming-194313">collapse of FTX</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ftx-contagion-will-be-ugly-within-crypto-but-probably-less-damaging-to-the-wider-world-194376">possible contagion</a> that could have across the wider market. Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, has come out of this fiasco quite well. It highlighted FTX’s trading activities in early November, before the exchange – along with several other crypto companies – was found to be very illiquid and to have insufficient reserves. </p>
<p>To encourage more transparency in this area, Binance has since <a href="https://www.binance.com/en/support/announcement/binance-releases-proof-of-reserves-system-0c7a786cbe8c4e108f3301385ab61e39">released its proof of reserves system</a>, which details its assets. Last June, Binance founder, Changpeng Zhao, tweeted that the exchange had turned down sponsorship deals but planned to significantly up its headcount. In the same month, Crypto.com announced 260 employee layoffs, equating to a 5% cut of its workforce. </p>
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<p>More recently, Zhao retweeted his June post alongside news that Binance is now aiming to build <a href="https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1594670668582305794">a workforce of 8,000 employees</a> by the end of 2022. </p>
<p>These tweets suggest that he also sees the danger in cryptocurrency firms over-exerting themselves in terms of sponsorships at the expense of shoring up their businesses. Considering <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/business/ftx-sports-sponsorships.html">current crypto events</a>, it seems he might be right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195582/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Urquhart owns some cryptocurrencies.</span></em></p>Cryptocurrency customers and sports fans have crossover demographics, but an advertising splurge could distract from solving deeper problems.Andrew Urquhart, Professor of Finance & Financial Technology, ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of ReadingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1954322022-12-07T03:31:23Z2022-12-07T03:31:23ZFIFA’s mirage of unity: why the World Cup is a vessel for political protest<p>Before the Qatar World Cup began, FIFA launched a social campaign called “<a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1130464/fifa-unites-the-world-campiagn">Football Unites the World</a>”. FIFA acknowledged “the world is divided […] with conflicts and global crises”, but promised the World Cup “will <a href="https://tr.fifa.com/en/social-impact/campaigns/football-unites-the-world">bring people together</a> to cross borders, unite and celebrate”.</p>
<p>It’s a similar message to that of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in which the Olympic Games are said to “unify” <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-president-emphasises-role-of-the-olympic-games-to-unite-the-world-at-g20-summit-in-osaka">the world of nations</a>. Such aspirations aren’t simply about bringing countries together to play sport under agreed rules: these two global bodies also believe they have some capacity to shape international relations.</p>
<p>Indeed, both the FIFA and IOC presidents were invited speakers at the recent <a href="https://www.viva.co.id/english/1523091-jokowi-invites-fifa-and-ioc-presidents-to-present-at-g20-summit">G20 Summit in Bali</a>. The FIFA supremo, Gianni Infantino, drew upon the fabled <a href="http://sportlibrary.org/Olympictruce2000.html">Olympic truce</a>, urging for a ceasefire to the Russian invasion of Ukraine <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1130452/bach-infantino-g20-meeting">for the length of the men’s World Cup in Qatar</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, despite FIFA heralding unity and peace during the 2022 World Cup, the tournament has featured potent examples of political conflict and protest, while Russian attacks against Ukraine have intensified.</p>
<h2>Political football</h2>
<p>At the very time football was supposed to be “uniting the world”, FIFA was scrambling to quell what it saw as unwelcome criticism from some participants and many commentators. This dissent stemmed principally from widespread criticism about <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-qatar-fifa-world-cup-so-controversial-192627">Qatar as World Cup host</a>, notably the exploitation of foreign labourers, discrimination against LGBTQI+ communities, and constraints around drinking alcohol.</p>
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<p>In response, Infantino sent a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/fifa-urges-world-cup-teams-focus-soccer-politics-92652746">letter to football federations</a> saying: “Please, let’s now focus on the football!” He urged them to “not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists”.</p>
<p>However, while football teams concentrate on winning games, some also promote <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/sport-and-anti-doping/international-charter-sport">bedrock values in modern sport</a> such as inclusion, and rail against discrimination.</p>
<p>Many football teams – especially those from Western democratic cultures – have a <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/fifa-world-cup/lgbtq-how-germany-promotes-tolerance-in-its-soccer-stadiums/ar-AA14JW9T">progressive vision</a> of what “unity” in sport and society should mean.</p>
<h2>Rainbow dispute</h2>
<p>FIFA’s 2017 <a href="https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/organisation/news/fifa-publishes-landmark-human-rights-policy-2893311">Human Rights Policy</a> prohibits discrimination “in the world of football both on and off the pitch”, with freedom of sexual orientation specifically protected, among other attributes.</p>
<p>In keeping with this, seven European countries informed FIFA they intended to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/world-cup-2022-what-is-onelove-armband-why-did-fifa-ban-it-2022-11-24/">showcase their support</a> for sex and gender diverse communities at the 2022 World Cup. Team captains were to wear the “OneLove” rainbow-coloured armband, as had been done by the Dutch at the <a href="https://www.knvb.com/news/extra/diversity/1225/onelove-football-brings-people-together-not-apart">UEFA Euro 2020</a> championship.</p>
<p>But just hours before the opening game, FIFA announced the OneLove symbols were a “breach” of its rules: no kit should feature “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/world-cup-2022-what-is-onelove-armband-why-did-fifa-ban-it-2022-11-24/">any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images</a>”.</p>
<p>What’s more, wearing the armband would not merely attract a fine. FIFA warned of on-field punishment in the form of <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/3744929-fifa-quashes-lgbtq-armband-support-at-world-cup-with-yellow-card-threat/">yellow cards</a>.</p>
<p>The European teams, while angry, now felt they had little choice other than to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/european-teams-abandon-plan-wear-armbands-world-cup-93705929">back down</a>. But there were creative responses. The German team offered a symbolic protest before the start of their next match, covering their mouths to denounce being “gagged” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/germany-world-cup-players-cover-mouths-protest-fifa-ban-one-love-armbands-qatar-human-rights-abuses/">by FIFA</a>. Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, sported the OneLove armband while <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/german-minister-wears-one-love-armband-next-to-fifa-president-despite-ban-160908374.html">setting next to Infantino</a> during that game.</p>
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<h2>Clash of values</h2>
<p>FIFA, meanwhile, offered its own “<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/fifa-launches-captain-armband-eve-080907955.html">solution</a>”. The FIFA “No Discrimination” <a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/campaigns/football-unites-the-world/media-releases/fifa-partner-with-united-nations-agencies-to-run-social-campaigns-during">campaign</a> was brought forward from the planned quarter-finals stage, with <a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/campaigns/no-discrimination/media-releases/no-discrimination-campaign-made-available-for-entire-fifa-world-cup-qatar">FIFA-approved armbands</a> endorsing anti-discrimination, albeit without a specific focus on sex and gender diversity.</p>
<p>FIFA’s feeble public relations spin then quickly denigrated into <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/doublespeak-language-term-1690475">doublespeak</a>. Despite banning the OneLove armbands, FIFA announced it also “supports” OneLove and the LGBTQI+ community, and “Football unites behind [FIFA’s] call for #NoDiscrimination”.</p>
<p>That message would hardly resonate with <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/qatar-human-rights-watch-report-states-security-forces-arrest-abuse-lgbtq-people/a-63533696">Qatari authorities</a>, for whom homosexuality is an affront to Islam and <a href="https://qatarjust.com/common-rules-and-regulation-in-doha-qatar/">forbidden under law</a>. Just prior to the tournament, Qatar’s World Cup ambassador, former footballer Khalid Salman, claimed to a German broadcaster that same sex attraction is “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/08/football/qatar-fifa-world-cup-ambassador-homosexuality-spt-intl/index.html">damage in the mind</a>”.</p>
<p>Two weeks later, panellists on Qatar’s Alkass Sports channel <a href="https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football/9837057/rte-pundit-richie-sadlier-furious-reaction-qatari-mock-germany/">mocked</a> the German football team’s protest gesture, relishing their elimination from the Cup. These Europeans, they said, had <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/02/sport/world-cup-qatar-mocks-germany-armband-gesture-intl-hnk/index.html">failed to respect</a> Qatar’s customs.</p>
<p>FIFA, in gifting the World Cup to Qatar as host, was well aware of this <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-qatar-fifa-world-cup-so-controversial-192627">clash of values</a>, but deferred to local norms.</p>
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<p>That said, FIFA occasionally pushed back, most notably to quell the ire of fans prevented from conveying symbolic support for LGBTQI+ communities through their <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-63710435">clothing</a>. At the entry to stadiums, Qatari security initially refused entry to people wearing clothing with <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-22/fifa-world-cup-qatar-rainbow-clothing-one-love-armband/101681732">rainbow adornments</a>. However, after “<a href="https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/11/25/qatar-world-cup-u-turn-on-rainbow-ban/">urgent talks</a>” with FIFA, that position was rescinded. In this sense, fans ended up having more freedom of expression than players.</p>
<p>But not completely. When some England fans arrived at the opening match dressed as their country’s patron saint, often replete with faux helmets, plastic swords, and shields featuring the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/11/25/exclusive-england-fans-knight-fancy-dress-accused-muslim-killers/">St George Cross</a>, Qatari police refused them entry. This attire has a long tradition among English sports fans, but FIFA sided with Qatar, deciding that “crusader” costumes could be <a href="https://theconversation.com/understanding-the-crusades-from-an-islamic-perspective-96932">historically offensive to Muslims</a>.</p>
<p>According to FIFA, this position was consistent with it striving to promote “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/25/sport/world-cup-crusader-costumes-offensive-intl-scli/index.html">a discrimination-free environment</a>”.</p>
<h2>National (dis)unity</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, Iranian spectators in Doha were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/28/gianni-infantino-fifa-world-cup-2022-qatar">confronted by security</a> for the “offense” of wearing t-shirts or holding up placards in support of the recent protest movement against the Islamic Republic and its <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/4/iran-suspends-morality-police-what-does-it-mean">morality police</a>.</p>
<p>Persian pre-revolutionary flags and items emblazoned with one or all of the words “<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/fifa-world-cup-iran-fans-denied-entry-into-stadium-8295526/">Woman, Life, Freedom</a>” were <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/protests-iran-world-cup_n_6381bcdfe4b006c42d3ea5eb">routinely seized</a>, either by security forces or pro-government agents and supporters.</p>
<p>FIFA eventually <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/fifa-allows-banners-iran-protests-world-cup/32157150.html">intervened</a> to assure Iranians that symbols of dissent would no longer be constrained by World Cup authorities, but this only happened after the Iran team had been eliminated from the tournament.</p>
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<p>Elsewhere, Brazilian fans confronted a very different political quandary. In recent years their team’s iconic yellow jersey, the canarinho, has been deployed as an <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bolsonaro-lula-brazil-election-yellow-soccer-jersey_n_635dcfcfe4b04dfacf80d283">unofficial emblem</a> of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/06/football/bolsonaro-brazil-foootball-yellow-shirt-cmd-spt-intl/index.html">right-wing populist movement</a>.</p>
<p>Many supporters of the new left-wing president, known as Lula, have concluded the <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/06/football/bolsonaro-brazil-foootball-yellow-shirt-cmd-spt-intl/index.html">yellow jersey is still politically tainted</a>: after all, Bolsanaro and his supporters had used the canarinho in a similar vein to Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bolsonaro-lula-brazil-election-yellow-soccer-jersey_n_635dcfcfe4b04dfacf80d283">MAGA merchandise</a>.</p>
<p>The long-term goal of leftist football fans is to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/24/leftwing-brazilians-reclaim-football-jersey-bolsonaro-world-cup">reclaim and democratise the canarinho</a> as a patriotic but not partisan symbol. For now they encourage wearing the <a href="https://twitter.com/Quicktake/status/1597121389416226816?s=20&t=5R-0SaFNgEo1koLwCt0P6A">lesser-known blue kit</a>, worn when Brazil won the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27809268">1958 World Cup</a> against Sweden, which donned yellow.</p>
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<h2>FIFA’s fantasy</h2>
<p>Promotional rhetoric either by FIFA or its stakeholders routinely emphasises the unifying and integrative “power” of football and the World Cup.</p>
<p>However, starry-eyed claims such as “<a href="https://www.expatsportfifaworldcuphospitality.com/football-the-universal-salve-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-offers-hope-on-the-horizon/">football the universal salve</a>” and “<a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/campaigns/football-unites-the-world/news/dunga-the-world-cup-brings-down-cultural-barriers">the World Cup brings down cultural barriers</a>” simply don’t stand up to scrutiny.</p>
<p>Future World Cups will be obliged to adhere to <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-qatar-fifa-world-cup-so-controversial-192627">human rights obligations</a> that Qatar (2022) and Russia (2018) weren’t required to follow.</p>
<p>Yet, such is FIFA’s cognitive dissonance that Infantino, on the eve of the cup, fantasised about the possibility of a <a href="https://me.mashable.com/culture/22285/world-cup-fifas-president-is-open-to-hosting-the-tournament-in-north-korea-heres-why">World Cup in North Korea</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195432/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daryl Adair does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Starry-eyed claims such as “the World Cup brings down cultural barriers” simply do not stand up to scrutiny.Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1952672022-12-05T16:57:59Z2022-12-05T16:57:59ZQatar: why we are critical of some countries’ human rights records and not others<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497648/original/file-20221128-24-1prkmy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C5%2C3648%2C2444&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Freedom House ranks gap year favourite Vietnam lower than Qatar on political rights and civil liberties.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/point-view-man-paddling-yellow-kayak-1472193545">Raphael Rivest / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As host of the World Cup, Qatar is currently in the spotlight for years of human rights violations, particularly concerning the treatment of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022">migrant workers</a> and laws on <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/what-are-qatars-homosexuality-laws-12752474">homosexuality</a>. Many have questioned how football fans can visit such a nation. Campaigners <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2022/11/10/fifa-and-qatar-rattled-as-european-world-cup-boycott-gathers-pace">across Europe</a> have called for teams not to take part, and many fans have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/23/british-football-fans-boycotting-world-cup-qatar">chosen to boycott</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Turkey welcomed <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/judykoutsky/2022/09/27/turkeys-tourism-numbers-surge-new-michelin-guide-announced/?sh=3a1ce6872aba">record high</a> numbers of tourists in 2022, but was <a href="https://ilga-europe.org/report/rainbow-europe-2020/">ranked 48th</a> out of 49 countries for its LGBTQ+ equality laws. Backpacking across Thailand has become a rite of passage for western gap year travellers, yet according to <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores?sort=asc&order=Total%20Score%20and%20Status">Freedom House</a>’s ranking of political rights and civil liberties, the country scores just slightly above Qatar. And Dubai remains the trendiest destination for <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/love-island-geordie-shore-stars-23406259">Love Island stars</a> and social media influencers, despite homosexuality remaining <a href="https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/united-arab-emirates/">punishable</a> by life imprisonment, flogging or even death. </p>
<p>In this way, some destinations seem to escape scrutiny for their human rights records while others are heavily criticised. As travel blogger Tom O'Hara <a href="https://www.nothere.co.uk/ethical-travel-repressive-regimes/">explained in 2016</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When I mentioned that I was going to Uzbekistan for my summer holiday, people quizzed me on the ethical implications of travelling to a country governed by such a notoriously unpleasant dictatorship. Interestingly, the same questions haven’t arisen so far this year when I’ve told people that I’m travelling to Cuba.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Countries like Cuba have invested time and money to promote a “tourism discourse”. This means, with the help of travel agencies, spreading a positive image of the country as a holiday destination. Somewhere like Uzbekistan, a significantly less popular destination, does not have such associated positive imagery. But on <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores?sort=asc&order=Total%20Score%20and%20Status">Freedom House’s</a> ranking, Uzbekistan is only one slot above Cuba.</p>
<p>Governments will pump millions into campaigns that project a positive image overseas. In 2010, the Tel Aviv tourism board invested US$90 million (£74 million) to brand the city as an international gay vacation destination. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14649365.2020.1821391">Some critics</a> have argued that this is a technique of <a href="https://mondoweiss.net/2011/11/a-documentary-guide-to-brand-israel-and-the-art-of-pinkwashing/">pinkwashing</a>, using Israel’s liberal attitudes towards sexuality to divert attention away from the ongoing oppression of Palestinians. </p>
<p>Travel companies and tourist boards play a role in shaping how the public views a destination. They help create and share an image that emphasises good climate, low cost, entertainment and beaches. Meanwhile, crime, political unrest and poverty are all hidden. The average tourist might spend more time checking weather forecasts than researching the political situation in potential holiday spots.</p>
<p>Tourism researcher <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1755182X.2017.1348545">Alicia Vega</a> explored Spanish travel guides from the 1950s and 1960s, to understand how they addressed the country’s autocratic Francoist regime of the time. She found that most did not mention the dictatorship whatsoever. Those that did would tiptoe around the issue, using euphemisms like referring to the “future monarchy” and never “dictator”. Many northern Europeans who visited Francoist Spain had no knowledge that the country was under a dictatorship. </p>
<p>Today, tourists could easily research the political background of a country online, yet when searching for a relaxing break, it’s not something many consider. According to a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/instagrammability-holiday-factor-millenials-holiday-destination-choosing-travel-social-media-photos-a7648706.html">2017 survey</a>, the most important factor for millennials when choosing a destination was how it would appear in photos on Instagram.</p>
<p>The traditional guidebook has been replaced with social media. From <a href="https://thebalisun.com/bali-to-hire-vloggers-and-influencers-to-aggressively-promote-tourism/">Indonesia</a> to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/03/style/saudi-arabia-travel-influencers.html">Saudi Arabia</a>, nations have tapped into the power of this new form of image creating, inviting popular influencers on all-expenses-paid trips to bolster their image online. </p>
<h2>Selective gaze</h2>
<p>Many people are aware of sweatshops being used for <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2022/11/08/inside-shein-machine-untold-review-slap-wrist-addicted-fast/">fast fashion</a> or of the plight of iPhone <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/24/workers-in-running-battles-with-police-at-foxconns-iphone-factory-in-china">factory workers</a> in China, yet still buy these products. The tourism industry is no different. As guests on short visits, we will often use the temporary nature of our holiday as an excuse to avoid the negative realities of a destination. After all, what can I do about women’s rights in Egypt if I’m only visiting for two weeks? </p>
<p>One could argue that the responsibility is on travel companies. If Fifa is facing backlash for hosting the World Cup in Qatar, then British Airways or Thomas Cook should be criticised for profiting from holidays to Barbados, long ranked one of the world’s most <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/dangerous-countries-lgbt-travel-gay-queer-homosexual-illegal-holiday-a9251531.html">dangerous places to be gay</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two young women tourists holding guidebooks, cameras and cell phones, pointing and smiling with an east Asian temple behind them" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498483/original/file-20221201-6668-jwnaju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498483/original/file-20221201-6668-jwnaju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498483/original/file-20221201-6668-jwnaju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498483/original/file-20221201-6668-jwnaju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498483/original/file-20221201-6668-jwnaju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498483/original/file-20221201-6668-jwnaju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498483/original/file-20221201-6668-jwnaju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tourism can be a tool for governments to promote positive images of their countries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-asian-female-tourists-holding-guide-1345735247">PR Image Factory / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The lack of interest in the country’s political situation could be blamed on the indifference that, according to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/english-abroad-cmd/index.html">stereotypes</a>, characterises the typical tourist. Holidays revolve around pleasure, a tourist is (understandably) completely self-oriented when on holiday. They tend to be surrounded by fellow tourists and facilities unrepresentative of the host country, making it easy to see these places as paradise. </p>
<p>Some nations even design their tourism industry to cocoon tourists in specific <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354895751_Tourist_Enclaves">enclave resorts</a>, far away from the realities of local life. Western cultural norms prevail in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el Sheikh, and tourists may feel that they could be in Italy or Spain. Outside of the resort, political opposition is virtually nonexistent, expressions of dissent can draw imprisonment, and civil liberties, press freedom and freedom of assembly, are tightly <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/country/egypt">restricted</a>.</p>
<p>Many destinations with human rights issues, or those under authoritarian regimes, are stunningly beautiful, and home to incredibly hospitable people who cannot be blamed for their government’s actions. But as consumers (and tourists are consumers), we can do more to research our destinations carefully, and ensure that the money we are spending is used locally and not by dangerous dictatorships.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195267/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ross Bennett-Cook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some tourist destinations are very good at distracting from their questionable approach to civil liberties.Ross Bennett-Cook, Visiting Lecturer and PhD Candidate, School of Architecture and Cities, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1954122022-12-05T12:30:34Z2022-12-05T12:30:34ZWorld Cup 2022: footballers run either like gazelles or grizzlies – here’s how our research can help coaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498525/original/file-20221201-6668-dvmgqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=29%2C0%2C3324%2C2134&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/warsaw-poland-september-08-2021-world-2039272136">MaciejGillert/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every team still competing in the Fifa World Cup is determined to get their hands on football’s ultimate prize. But willpower isn’t everything. Success on the pitch also depends on the players’ abilities to run for long distances, including high-intensity bursts and occasional short sprints. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2022.939676/full">new research</a> shows that footballers can be categorised into two distinct running styles that we’ve dubbed “grizzlies” and “gazelles”. These findings have clear implications for developing unique training programmes that optimise the performance of either type of player.</p>
<p>Football requires running at variable speeds – a key aspect of performance that demands monitoring and analysis in both games and training. Apart from walking, elite football players’ speeds range from 7.2 to 14.3 km/h for jogging, 14.4 to 19.7 km/h for running, 19.8 to 25.1 km/h for high-speed running, and exceed 25.1 km/h for sprinting. </p>
<p>A crucial factor in running mechanics is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8553457/">leg stiffness</a>. This isn’t the same as the pain and soreness you feel in your muscles after a long run or repeated sprints at high intensities. In a sporting performance context, leg stiffness is related to muscle tension – helping to store and reuse energy. A player with high muscle stiffness has a lot of muscle tension, meaning they waste less energy as they run up and down the pitch. </p>
<p>Our research has identified two distinct running styles based on leg stiffness: “aerial” and “terrestrial”. Aerial runners have high leg stiffness characterised by a spring-like vertical bouncing manner, which is a seemingly more economical running style. This is similar to how gazelles run.</p>
<p>By contrast, terrestrial runners have low leg stiffness identified by a more grounded, horizontal gait. They are potentially more suited to short sprints and fast changes in direction. This is similar to how grizzly bears run.</p>
<p>(These metaphors are based on the visual imagery of how these animals run, rather than their body size or shape.)</p>
<h2>The importance of running style</h2>
<p>In our research, we asked 25 English Premier League football players to run on a treadmill while we analysed their running styles. We found that using a measure known as the “duty factor” is a simple but effective way to describe running styles. This is calculated as the ratio of the time the foot is in contact with the ground and the time between two successive placements of that foot.</p>
<p>Lower duty factors are associated with shorter time touching the ground, longer time in the air and higher leg stiffness – gazelle style. Conversely, higher duty factors are associated with longer time on the ground, shorter time in the air and lower leg stiffness – like grizzlies.</p>
<p>In fact, we discovered that most players have a gazelle or grizzly running style across different speeds. In particular, “wide players” such as wingers and fullbacks typically displayed a gazelle running style, whereas central midfielders typically adopted a more grizzly-like running style.</p>
<p>Interestingly, some players could not be consistently categorised in either group. For one player, the duty factor decreased by 26% between the speeds of 12 and 20 km/h. He reused energy better at faster speeds than other players in the group, but was better at changing direction at lower speeds. This winger was therefore categorised as a “kangaroo”, possessing leg stiffness properties that return more energy the faster it moves.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Image of central midfielder Declan Rice." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498527/original/file-20221201-16-z6q2rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498527/original/file-20221201-16-z6q2rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498527/original/file-20221201-16-z6q2rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498527/original/file-20221201-16-z6q2rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498527/original/file-20221201-16-z6q2rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498527/original/file-20221201-16-z6q2rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498527/original/file-20221201-16-z6q2rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Central midfields such as Declan Rice typically run like grizzlies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/warsaw-poland-september-08-2021-world-2039271101">MaciejGillert/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our evidence suggests that gazelle runners might be more economical than grizzly runners at faster speeds, and thus more suited to continuous box-to-box running. By contrast, grizzly runners might be better suited to short sprints and marking opponents because their more grounded style allows for easier changes in direction. </p>
<h2>Training implications</h2>
<p>It is conceivable that gazelle players can optimise their energy resources by adopting the grizzly style when running in short, reactive bursts and the gazelle style when required to run for longer periods. </p>
<p>From a training perspective, it seems sensible for football players to improve aspects of both running styles to manage the demands of different running speeds, and to focus not only on their strengths but also their weaknesses. However, if the coach wishes to improve the running performance of each player, they should also exploit the player’s natural running style.</p>
<p>Research <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2019/04000/Lower_Extremity_Stiffness__Considerations_for.28.aspx">has suggested</a> that high-intensity exercises such as <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/plyometrics">plyometrics</a> (using speed and force of different movements to build muscle power) will enhance leg stiffness and might suit the aerial patterns of gazelles. In contrast, resistance training (such as sled-pulling) might be better suited for the running style of the terrestrial grizzlies. </p>
<p>Ultimately, either type of player will benefit from training methods that improve the capacity of their muscles to create force, which could be specific to different lower-limb joints (such as hips and ankles). However, which exact exercise would benefit them the most could be influenced by their unique running style.</p>
<p>Running style preferences could also have other important implications, such as for recovery needs. This would be particularly useful at events such as the World Cup in Qatar, with its energy-sapping conditions and schedule.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195412/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Players can optimise their energy resources by adopting different styles when running in short bursts or longer periods.Tim Bennett, Senior Lecturer in Sports Bioemechanics, Leeds Beckett UniversityBrian Hanley, Reader in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1957362022-12-05T04:24:22Z2022-12-05T04:24:22ZQatar World Cup: Socceroos’ best ever performance, and what it means for the game in Australia ahead of hosting the Women’s World Cup<p>Before the men’s FIFA World Cup commenced, the Socceroos’ most noteworthy contribution seemed likely to be their pre-emptive video campaign on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/oct/28/socceroos-win-wide-support-for-campaign-highlighting-world-cup-host-qatars-human-rights-record">human rights</a> in host country Qatar.</p>
<p>The political debate receded somewhat once the action on the field kicked off. After <a href="https://euroweeklynews.com/2022/11/22/clash-in-qatar/">losing</a> their opening game heavily to world champions France, the focus was set to be on the deficiencies of the team, coach and organisation of the game in Australia.</p>
<p>But unexpectedly, the Socceroos, ranked 38th in the world by FIFA, won two consecutive games for the first time in their World Cup history, and qualified for the knockout stages for the first time since 2006. There, they faced Lionel Messi’s Argentina, ranked 3rd in the world.</p>
<p>While their 2022 World Cup road then ended in an <a href="https://au.sports.yahoo.com/fifa-world-cup-2022-socceroos-win-footbal-world-argentina-heroics-222613327.html">honourable 2-1 defeat</a>, their historic run is a chance to reflect on the meaning of the Qatar experience for football in Australia, which has a troubled local history, as we look ahead to co-hosting the Women’s World Cup next year.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1599146502668312577"}"></div></p>
<h2>Taking on the world game</h2>
<p>Those in Australia who only pay attention to football (or soccer) because of noisy World Cup intrusion tend to underestimate such effort and accomplishment.</p>
<p>The two biggest football codes in the country, Australian rules and rugby league, are far less globally significant. Australian rules is played professionally only in Australia, while rugby league is dominated by Australasia.</p>
<p>The recent <a href="https://www.rlwc2021.com/">Rugby League World Cup</a> in the UK saw the Australian men’s team win it for the 12th time in 16 attempts, while the women’s team have won the last three successive tournaments.</p>
<p>By contrast, the Socceroos have never come close to winning the football World Cup. This is unsurprising given FIFA has 211 affiliated <a href="https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations">national teams</a>, compared to the <a href="https://www.intrl.sport/member-nations/">International Rugby League’s</a> 34 with two pending.</p>
<p>After first qualifying in 1974 and failing to win a match or score a goal, Australia didn’t return to the FIFA World Cup for 32 years. Before Qatar, the Socceroos had won only two out of 13 World Cup games <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/au/soccer/news/australia-world-cup-history-record-last-appearance-best-finish-socceroos-fifa-tournament/vctvornntn7tts4ssnkcdery">since 2006</a>, conceding twice as many goals as they’d scored.</p>
<p>To win consecutive games in Qatar and progress to the last 16 for only the second time was impressive, especially as the current team consists mostly of “journeymen” and has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-16/socceroos-dna-who-are-these-blokes/101154112">no outright stars</a>.</p>
<p>Being on the same pitch as superstars like Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, both of whom scored against the Socceroos in Qatar, signalled both the scale of this achievement and the tough task ahead for a game with a <a href="https://www.joegorman.com.au/the-death-and-life-of-australian-soccer">troubled history</a> in Australia.</p>
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<h2>Multicultural stigma and football diplomacy</h2>
<p>The late Socceroo and commentator <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/sheilas-wogs-and-poofters-9781742746975">Johnny Warren</a> observed that men’s football in Australia has been widely stigmatised as feminised, fey and foreign. This <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Containment-of-Soccer-in-Australia-Fencing-Off-the-World-Game/Hallinan-Hughson/p/book/9781138880580">prejudice</a> sometimes resurfaces, especially when any cases of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2021.1897234">crowd disorder</a> generate tabloid <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1326365X16640329">headlines</a> about mob violence and old ethnic enmities being imported to Australia.</p>
<p>Ethnic community clubs have been <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9780080569727/sport-social-capital-matthew-nicholson-russell-hoye">the cradle of football</a> in Australia. But when football became fully professional in 2004, this contribution was actively repressed under its new regime, which was run by the mega-rich Frank Lowy at the urging of Prime Minister <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/the-fathers-of-australian-soccers-success-20051119-ge19rz.html">John Howard</a>. A condition of public funding was the “<a href="https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/10159/1/2007004437.pdf">de-ethnicisation</a>” of the game, which included banning ethnic-related names, emblems and chants.</p>
<p>The attempted erasure of the local game’s <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07256868.2017.1265490">cultural history and present</a> is at odds with its officially-sanctioned use in <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/football-diplomacy">football diplomacy</a>.</p>
<p>Australia left the small Oceania Football Confederation in 2006 for the bigger stage of its <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315680521-13/afc-asian-cup-david-rowe">Asian</a> counterpart, the Asian Football Confederation. But the move had long been <a href="https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526131065/9781526131065.00018.xml">opposed</a> by some Asian nations. Australia was seen, especially in the Middle East, as an affluent agent of the West.</p>
<p>Ironically, Qatar comprehensively defeated Australia in FIFA’s now-discredited <a href="https://www.fairplaypublishing.com.au/products/whatever-it-takes-the-inside-story-of-the-fifa-way">bidding process</a> for hosting the 2022 World Cup. A further irony is that in countering China’s ambitions in the region, Australia is enthusiastically using <a href="https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/sports-diplomacy-2030.pdf">sports diplomacy</a> to mend fences with the same Pacific nations it previously abandoned in the football world.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1597990541454880768"}"></div></p>
<h2>Up next: co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup</h2>
<p>Still, following the Socceroos’ success in Qatar there will soon be plentiful opportunities for regional sports diplomacy when Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand host the 2023 FIFA <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023">Women’s World Cup</a>. </p>
<p>The Australian women’s soccer team, the Matildas, has a higher ranking in world football than the national men’s team – 13th compared to 38th.</p>
<p>Australia’s <a href="https://www.chelseafc.com/en/teams/profile/sam-kerr">Sam Kerr</a> has a much higher global profile than any current Socceroo. She’s currently playing for London club Chelsea in the top division of women’s football in England, and has finished third in the women’s Ballon d'Or (the prize for the world’s best player) in both the last two years.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1593418290050867202"}"></div></p>
<p>This World Cup will be the biggest sport event in Australia since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It will also be a major indicator of the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2021.1904267">post-peak pandemic</a> resurgence of women’s sport and its challenge to traditional male domination.</p>
<p>Australia’s treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, refugees, and the environment, among other major political issues, are likely to be subjected to increased global scrutiny.</p>
<p>The Socceroos earned respect for how they began and finished their 2022 World Cup campaign. But as I suspect Australia will discover in 2023, when it comes to hosting mega sport events, it’s not only illiberal countries like Qatar that feel the heat.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Correction: this article previously said the Socceroos lost all three matches at the 1974 World Cup. This has been corrected to reflect the team only lost two, and drew the final match.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195736/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Rowe received funding from the Australian Research Council for the Discovery Projects 'A Nation of "Good Sports"? Cultural Citizenship and Sport in Contemporary Australia' (DP130104502).</span></em></p>Being on the same pitch as superstars like Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi signalled both the scale of this achievement and the tough task ahead for a game with a troubled history in Australia.David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1956572022-12-04T08:56:42Z2022-12-04T08:56:42ZHosting the World Cup: what Qatar can learn from South Africa about nation branding<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498280/original/file-20221130-22-6532fu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">South African supporters at the 2010 men's football World Cup.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Phil Cole/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The eyes of the world are focused on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Qatar">Qatar</a> for the 2022 edition of the men’s <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022">Fifa World Cup</a> – the globe’s <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1247928-ranking-the-biggest-events-in-sports">largest</a> single-sport event. Qatar was a somewhat surprising choice. It’s the smallest-ever host in terms of its geographic and population size, and its extreme heat in the usual hosting period (June/July) means the tournament is playing out in November/December. Since the decision was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/qatar-win-2022-world-cup-bid">announced</a> in 2010, much media attention has focused on the country’s customs and cultural issues, such as the perceived <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022">abuse of workers’ rights</a> and the lack of acceptance of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jun/29/qatar-fails-to-offer-world-cup-safety-guarantees-to-lgbtq-fans">LGBTIQ freedoms</a>. </p>
<p>In the lead up to the event, there were calls – from teams and high-profile celebrities – to <a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/pressure-mounts-for-teams-to-boycott-2022-world-cup-in-qatar/">boycott the event</a> or protest these issues. The host nation seems largely untroubled: it has continued its <a href="https://www.qatar-tribune.com/article/24485/nation/qatars-branding-legacy-should-be-carried-on-even-after-wc-expert">strategic policy</a> of using major sport events to boost its global reputation and image, especially through showcasing its technological advances and Arabic hospitality. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-senegal-and-cameroon-carry-africas-best-hopes-194647">World Cup 2022: Senegal and Cameroon carry Africa's best hopes</a>
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<p>As a scholar who focuses on sport tourism, mega-events, legacy and place branding, I have been studying the nation branding potential of the World Cup in the light of South Africa hosting the men’s event in 2010.</p>
<p>As my research makes clear, South Africa’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/07/nation-branding-industry-how-to-sell-a-country">nation branding</a> benefited enormously from hosting the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2010south-africa">2010 World Cup</a>. So, what can Qatar learn from the South African experience? What lessons might be applied to create a positive legacy?</p>
<h2>What South Africa did right</h2>
<p>Since the turn of the millennium, emerging nations, and especially members of the <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brics.asp">BRICS bloc</a> (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), have increasingly bid for and hosted sport mega-events. </p>
<p>Brazil, for example, hosted the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2014brazil">2014 World Cup</a> and <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/rio-2016">2016 summer Olympic Games</a>. Russia hosted the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia">2018 World Cup</a> and <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/sochi-2014">2014 winter Olympics</a>. India hosted the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/2010-commonwealth-games-india-medal-table-sport">2010 Commonwealth Games</a>, China hosted the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2008">2008 summer</a> and <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2022">2022 winter Olympics</a> and South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup. </p>
<p>All of these nations sought to leverage these sport mega-events for global recognition and reputation enhancement – or nation branding.</p>
<p>My colleagues and I <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212571X14000547">conducted</a> a <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJCTHR-06-2015-0051/full/html">variety</a> of <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2015-0523/full/html">studies</a> before, during, and up to eight years after the World Cup in South Africa. The findings indicated that stakeholders – residents, tourists, government agencies, the tourism and event sector, and event sponsors – viewed the country’s overall reputational gains as positive and enduring.</p>
<p>It is often forgotten that South Africa, like Qatar, experienced serious doubts and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/22/south-africa-worldcup-crime-fears">concerns</a> over its ability to host the World Cup. Some of this came down to general “Afro-pessimism”, but global media also highlighted the country’s high crime rate, cautioning that it was <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/football/01/29/southafrica.survey.2010/index.html">not safe</a> for visitors. My <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2012.663155">2010 study</a> indicated that crime was the most negative perception among visitors before the event. </p>
<p>Yet, after the event this perception was greatly reduced. People who previously had limited knowledge about South Africa’s cities, people, technology and general development <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2012.663155">knew more</a> about it after the World Cup. Their image of the country became one of a place that welcomed visitors, embraced diversity and had a competent and capable industry – all perceptions that could aid foreign direct investment in the country.</p>
<p>How did South Africa achieve this? I’d like to highlight three key focus areas emerging from my research.</p>
<h2>Nation branding: three key focus areas</h2>
<p>Firstly, South Africa hosted the global media (including <a href="https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/what-is-new-media">new media</a>) – not just during the World Cup, but before it too. To portray accurate reflections of the country, media tours showed off host cities and stadium development. A great effort was made to show key areas of the nation brand image, through being located in iconic areas or with views of city symbols or heritage sites. Importantly, the media were also provided with positive news stories surrounding the event. With an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2012.663155">estimated 15,000</a> media workers attending the event, this was sure to have an impact on informing more factual opinions of the nation.</p>
<p>Secondly, the country mobilised locals in support of the event. Creating and promoting specific songs, dances and campaigns – such as <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-06-2015-0051">“Football Friday”</a>, where residents were encouraged to wear the national team’s football jersey – created social cohesion even before the event kicked off. This also provided a welcoming environment for visitors and a greater sense of security for all.</p>
<p>The third key strategic focus was in leveraging partnerships to cooperate and align strategically around South Africa’s messaging and branding. Stakeholders I interviewed claimed that the event created opportunities for different government levels, the tourism industry, and the private sector to partner and align far better than they had done before. </p>
<p>Nation branding is built on multiple acts of communication and activities by a broad array of private and public sector stakeholders, media and citizens. It’s regrettable that it often takes a mega-event to create the impetus for such cooperation. My interview respondents hoped that such partnerships would be sustained after the World Cup.</p>
<h2>So what can Qatar learn?</h2>
<p>In the short term, Qatar should be encouraged that pre-event negative media issues have given way to more balanced and factual reporting now that the football has taken centre stage and visitors have arrived. Qatar could experience very positive branding gains from the World Cup, especially with a more nuanced understanding of the nation, its culture, history and development.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-an-african-team-win-the-world-cup-new-football-study-crunches-the-numbers-194824">Can an African team win the World Cup? New football study crunches the numbers</a>
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<p>Most importantly, Qatar and future hosts need to acknowledge that a sport mega-event in itself is no guarantee of a positive nation branding legacy. It will take strategic leveraging actions that are sustained over time to do so. </p>
<p>While South Africa clearly benefited from the mega-event, stakeholders acknowledged that negative global perceptions of the country, primarily linked with corruption and politically led <a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africas-state-capture-commission-nears-its-end-after-four-years-was-it-worth-it-182898">state capture</a> in the years that followed, have diminished this effect. </p>
<p>This is a reminder that while nation branding portrays a strategic vision for how a country would like to be perceived, this image needs to be consistently reinforced by actions aligned with this image over time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195657/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brendon Knott received funding from the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) (2010 - 2016), for studies related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.</span></em></p>Studies show South Africa did a lot right when it hosted the football World Cup. Qatar can do the same if it learns from South Africa.Brendon Knott, Associate Professor, Cape Peninsula University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1958132022-12-02T05:26:51Z2022-12-02T05:26:51ZWorld Cup: what body type works best for football? A professor of biomechanics explains<p>If you’ve been watching the World Cup, you might have marvelled at the physical fitness and skill of these elite players. </p>
<p>How can they run and run and run for so long? What makes them so good at speedy changes of direction? Biomechanically, is there a certain body type that is perfect for football?</p>
<p>Of course, much of the brilliant play is down to natural talent combined with years of very hard training and practise. But there are certainly some physical features that help a lot when it comes to being able to play football at this level.</p>
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<h2>Different features for different positions</h2>
<p>There’s no one single perfect body type for this sport; much depends on <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16208292/">what position you play</a>.</p>
<p>A central defender, for example, might benefit from a bit of extra height so they can defend against aerial balls in the box. </p>
<p>Midfielders, on the other hand, head the ball less often but need a lot of agility and to run astonishing distances in the game - most will cover <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17024626/">more than 10 kilometres</a>, with sprints and direction changes common. That’s where having lighter body mass really helps, and that means not being too tall. When you are tall – even if you are skinny – you weigh more, so being very tall can be a disadvantage for these players. </p>
<p>And being shorter means that our centre of mass is lower, so we have more stability and better balance. That makes technical skills with the ball easier to perform and it makes swiftly changing direction easier too. </p>
<p>There is one fairly consistent physical feature across footballers, which seems to be similar across male and female players: an ability to run and run.</p>
<p>They need to have a big engine, so they are physiologically strong in terms of heart and lungs. In a running test, these players will show up with a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29199782/">very high VO₂ max</a> (a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use while exercising).
They will also have a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16195006/">high lactate threshold</a>, which means their bodies can cope with high intensity effort for long periods of time. </p>
<p>All this adds up to what we call good <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21780851/">repeat sprint ability</a>. That means they can run, then recover, then run, then recover, and so on and so on. Don’t forget, they do spend some time standing or walking, so it’s the repeated effort to go from low intensity to maximum intensity over and over that necessitates this big engine.</p>
<h2>Lighter upper body, strong lower body</h2>
<p>Football players in general are not stocky like, say, rugby players. But while the upper body tends to be fairly light (which saves on mass and helps with speed), they do generally have quite big, strong legs.</p>
<p>That’s because changing direction rapidly – and to accelerate and decelerate almost instantly – takes quite a lot of force. You need muscly legs to do that.</p>
<p>Having a large upper body, on the other hand, would be mostly downside with little upside. There’s no significant requirement for upper body strength in this sport, so if want to increase speed and endurance, you need to maintain a lighter upper body mass. They are not training to get really big in the upper body. </p>
<p>They also generally have very low body fat levels as they need a lighter body mass to run, jump and accelerate. </p>
<h2>What about the goalkeeper?</h2>
<p>One position that does <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35157536/">benefit greatly from height</a> is the goalkeeper. The Australian goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, used his 1.95 metres frame to great advantage. And most elite goalkeepers stand taller than 1.85 metres.</p>
<p>The job of the ‘keeper is to leap vertically and laterally. Having <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22327081/">long legs</a> can help the 'keeper to jump higher and further because they can push off over a larger distance during the jump. And having long arms helps with reach to tip or catch the ball. So being tall can be a real advantage. </p>
<p>All in all, these players are well built to produce elite performances at the highest levels of the game. While years of hard training has surely contributed to their success, they might also thank their parents for the genes they received too. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable-193760">Why Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal is priceless -- and unforgettable</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anthony Blazevich does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How can they run and run and run for so long? What makes them so good at speedy changes of direction? Biomechanically, is there a certain body type perfect for football?Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1954052022-11-30T15:55:22Z2022-11-30T15:55:22ZBrazil’s iconic football shirt was a symbol of Bolsonaro – here’s how the World Cup is changing that<p>Like many extremist and authoritarian leaders before him, outgoing Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro <a href="https://brazilian.report/society/2019/09/07/right-wing-seized-brazil-national-symbols/">seized on national symbols</a> during his rise to power and tried to make them his own.</p>
<p>The national football shirt is a case in point. For years many Brazilians <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/24/leftwing-brazilians-reclaim-football-jersey-bolsonaro-world-cup">avoided</a> wearing the famous yellow shirt because of its association with Bolsonaro and far-right politics. </p>
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<p>But this might be starting to change because of Brazil’s matches in the World Cup, and who the current team represent. The players come from many different regions of the country, faiths and political positions. Central players like Neymar Jr, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/25/richarlison-brazilians-bolsonaro-world-cup-brazil">Richarlison</a> and <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/18/football/vinicius-jr-racism-dancing-goal-celebration-spt-intl/index.html">Vinicius Jr</a> have widely different political perspectives. The first openly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/sep/30/brazil-neymar-bolsonaro-support-election">supports Bolsonaro</a>, the other two are seen as liberal. Richarlison, whose <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL0IkvLrQLM">acrobatic goal</a> attracted global attention, is famous for his progressive <a href="https://noticias.uol.com.br/colunas/jamil-chade/2022/11/25/richarlison-rompe-o-silencio-de-craques-e-chacoalha-as-estruturas-do-poder.htm">political stance</a> on and off the field. He made statements about the death of George Floyd, against the burning of Amazon rainforest and has advocated for vaccination against COVID-19. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/18/football/vinicius-jr-racism-dancing-goal-celebration-spt-intl/index.html">Vinicius Jr</a> is also considered progressive and has been very vocal about anti-racism.</p>
<p>The team, therefore, crosses all <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/02/17/brazil-s-polarization-and-democratic-risks-pub-83783">sorts of divides</a> and may be bringing together supporters from across Brazil, who come from different political backgrounds, for the first time in a while. Bolsonaro sought to polarise the nation during his years in power, according to many commentators, using confrontational rhetoric and <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/02/17/brazil-s-polarization-and-democratic-risks-pub-83783">conspiracy theories</a>.</p>
<p>The question is whether Brazil’s performance in the World Cup can heal any of those divisions as the nation moves towards the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as president on January 1. In its first match, Brazil’s impressive performance against Serbia confirmed the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/11/24/sports/world-cup-scores">high level</a> of its football, and brought crowds out on to the streets across the country. </p>
<p>During the game, many left-wingers – including <a href="https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1595887237400776704">president-elect Lula</a> – took their dusty yellow shirts out of the closets.</p>
<p>I was out in the streets of Belo Horizonte, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, with friends during the Serbia game. After Brazil’s victory, the audience where I was – most of whom were wearing the national shirt – erupted, singing songs supporting Lula.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Brazil’s team on the way to qualification for the World Cup.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The support for the yellow shirt seemed to grow during the Brazil game against Switzerland. <a href="https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1597299115494641664">Lula</a> and members of the <a href="https://valor.globo.com/politica/noticia/2022/11/28/lula-assiste-vitria-do-brasil-contra-sua-com-a-equipe-de-transio-do-governo.ghtml">transitional government</a> again wore the national shirt while watching the game in Brasília, the nation’s capital. </p>
<p>While Lula watched the game in Brasília and Eduardo Bolsonaro, the congressman son of the outgoing president, watched the game in Doha, I went to the house of a friend’s family in Belo Horizonte. The streets along the way were crowded with people wearing the national football team shirt. On my way home, I saw people celebrating, singing and playing samba. Unlike in the past few years, the yellow shirt was everywhere.</p>
<h2>The history of Brazil’s football shirt</h2>
<p>The national football shirt is <a href="https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/politica/2022/11/5051711-uso-politico-da-camisa-da-selecao-faz-torcedor-buscar-outras-cores.html">an important symbol</a> in Brazil, due to the importance of football in the country’s culture. The incoming government believes that the World Cup poses a valuable opportunity to reclaim the national <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/24/leftwing-brazilians-reclaim-football-jersey-bolsonaro-world-cup">football team shirt</a>, along with other national symbols.</p>
<p>Before Bolsonaro’s rise to power, the national football shirt – along with the Brazilian flag – was initially used in <a href="https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/politica/2022/11/5051711-uso-politico-da-camisa-da-selecao-faz-torcedor-buscar-outras-cores.html">protests</a> against the left-wing Workers Party by unsatisfied portions of the population in 2013. During the 2018 elections, these symbols were used widely by Bolsonaro and his supporters.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/populism-in-brazil-how-liberalisation-and-austerity-led-to-the-rise-of-lula-and-bolsonaro-146780">Populism in Brazil: how liberalisation and austerity led to the rise of Lula and Bolsonaro</a>
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<p>Over the past few years, Bolsonaro’s supporters have wrapped themselves in the football shirt and national flag in marches around the country. They argued that they were “taking the country back” and that the Brazilian flag “would never be red” – in reference to an imagined communist threat. Only during and after the recent presidential election have these symbols started to be “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-63260840">retaken</a>” by the incoming government.</p>
<p>A similar trend of “owning” national symbols was observed during the government of former US president <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/sites/scholar.harvard.edu/files/bonikowski/files/bonikowski_-_trumps_populism.pdf">Donald Trump</a> and leaders of the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carole-Mathis-2/publication/335504994_National_symbols_and_emotions_in_the_Brexit_Leave_campaign/links/5d69716b299bf1808d59b82a/National-symbols-and-emotions-in-the-Brexit-Leave-campaign.pdf">Brexit</a> movement in the UK. Like Bolsonaro in Brazil, members of both movements attempted to capture national symbols, including flags, and vowed to “take back” their countries.</p>
<h2>Bolsonaro’s next move</h2>
<p>After his defeat in the 2022 presidential <a href="https://theconversation.com/brazilian-election-jair-bolsonaro-set-to-lose-but-his-legacy-will-be-harder-to-remove-190862">elections</a>, Bolsonaro has rarely left his official <a href="https://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2022/11/23/interna_politica,1424713/bolsonaro-volta-ao-planalto-apos-20-dias-de-ausencia-do-trabalho.shtml">residence</a>, and has not even mentioned watching the World Cup. In recent weeks, the president faced a series of <a href="https://theconversation.com/brazil-election-what-i-saw-on-the-streets-made-me-cautiously-optimistic-193418">political</a>, legal and symbolic defeats.</p>
<p>Some of Bolsonaro’s main political allies in Congress are starting to <a href="https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2022/11/lira-tem-sido-colaborativo-e-pode-compor-base-de-lula-diz-lider-do-pt.shtml">side</a> with Lula. The president also faces <a href="https://www.metropoles.com/colunas/guilherme-amado/bolsonaro-responde-a-doze-acoes-no-tse-que-podem-o-deixar-inelegivel">various</a> challenges in the electoral courts. Most recently, his party lost its <a href="https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2022/11/23/moraes-decisao-pl-relatorio-urnas.ghtml">last claim</a> contesting the results of the elections in the superior electoral court. The court <a href="https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2022/11/23/moraes-decisao-pl-relatorio-urnas.ghtml">fined</a> the party BRL 22.9 million (£3.5 million) for making unfounded allegations that threatened the electoral process.</p>
<p>Bolsonarismo is still very much <a href="https://theconversation.com/brazilian-election-jair-bolsonaro-set-to-lose-but-his-legacy-will-be-harder-to-remove-190862">alive</a>. However, despite a few deluded supporters crying out for military intervention and criminals perpetrating <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/11/26/terrorismo-bolsonarista-golpista-judiciario/">acts of terror</a>, things seem to be returning to some normality. </p>
<p>In the coming months, many Brazilians are hopeful that, while support for Bolsonaro will not disappear, the famous yellow shirt will be retaken as a symbol of the nation as a whole.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195405/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Felipe Tirado receives funding from the Centre for Doctoral Studies - King's College London.</span></em></p>Support for Brazil’s football team may be breaking down political division in the country, at least for now.Felipe Tirado, Visiting Lecturer in Jurisprudence, King's College LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1951402022-11-28T10:03:34Z2022-11-28T10:03:34ZWorld Cup 2022: how sponsorship has become less about selling drinks and more about geopolitics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497222/original/file-20221124-23-a02m09.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=74%2C47%2C4412%2C2916&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Spotlight on Qatar.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/karachi-pakistan-17-august-fifa-world-2210663797">Shutterstock/Nomi2626</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Fifa men’s World Cup 2022 in Qatar is arguably the most <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-qatars-frantic-countdown-to-a-football-tournament-full-of-controversy-191918">political in history</a>.</p>
<p>Even during the seemingly innocuous performance of <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/bts-jung-kook-world-cup-song-dreamers-opening-ceremony-performance-qatar-1235174156/">South Korean pop star Jung Kook</a> at the tournament’s opening ceremony, geopolitics were centre stage. For Kook, 25, is not just a good looking young man with a global fan base and a multi-million dollar fortune. In addition, he has a <a href="https://dohanews.co/k-pops-bts-world-cup-sponsorships-are-as-much-politics-as-they-are-business/">lucrative endorsement deal</a> with the South Korean car maker Hyundai-Kia, which also happens to be a major Fifa sponsor. </p>
<p>This kind of relationship is neither an accident nor a simple business arrangement. For years, the South Korean government has been pursuing a strategy aimed at <a href="https://www.e-ir.info/2022/09/18/is-south-korea-the-new-quintessential-soft-power/">building and projecting “soft power”</a>, developing its engagement with target audiences around the world. This has happened not just through football, music and cars, but also through <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/12/15/how-south-korean-pop-culture-can-be-source-of-soft-power-pub-83411">Oscar winning films like Parasite and the massively popular TV series Squid Games</a>.</p>
<p>And it’s not just South Korea taking advantage of the audiences that Fifa can provide. For while sellers of soft drinks and burgers are still part of the sponsorship roster, Fifa’s key partners are increasingly big corporations from <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-Spotlight/Why-Asia-Inc.-is-rushing-to-sponsor-the-Qatar-World-Cup">countries keen to benefit</a> from the global reach of football. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellore/2022/10/20/qatar-airways-ready-to-shine-at-2022-world-cup-as-official-airline-of-fifa/">State-owned Qatar Airways</a> for example, is busy selling plane tickets as Fifa’s official airline partner, but also plays a pivotal role in attempts by the Qatari government to establish <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/hamad-international-airport-qatar/index.html">Hamad International Airport</a> as a major hub of global travel.</p>
<p>The award winning airline is an effective <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15377857.2020.1723781">instrument of soft power</a>, transmitting signals to global audiences about what Qatar is and what it aspires to be. In turn, the airline, and the very act of hosting the 2022 World Cup, are both illustrations of a nation intent on <a href="https://medium.com/@simonchadwick_15086/brand-qatars-quest-to-become-the-best-faces-turbulence-as-world-cup-gets-underway-4fd1b4e6fcb4">telling the world a particular story</a> about itself – that it is a legitimate, trustworthy and important member of the <a href="https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2022/10/20/the-2022-world-cup-qatars-make-or-break-moment/">international community</a>.</p>
<p>The same applies to China, even though sporting and industrial progress have stalled somewhat since the pandemic. Its roster of four key World Cup sponsors featuring electronics (Hisense), mobile phones (Vivo), dairy products (Mengiu) and everything from property to media (Wanda) remains significant for a country hopeful of one day <a href="https://scroll.in/field/960115/china-signals-ambition-to-host-2030-world-cup-with-multibillion-dollar-splurge-on-football-stadiums">staging the tournament</a> itself and a government keen to spread China’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/euro-2020-a-football-tournament-where-the-big-players-come-from-china-and-the-us-162622">influence around the world</a>.</p>
<h2>Rebels with a cause</h2>
<p>Alongside the World Cup’s main sponsors, a tradition has emerged of business competitors during tournament engaging in <a href="https://theconversation.com/models-messi-and-wacky-races-the-art-of-ambush-marketing-22622">“ambush” marketing</a>. This involves brands using the mega-event as a marketing tool without the considerable expense of an official link (Fifa is reportedly <a href="https://www.sportbusiness.com/2022/04/fifa-seeks-massive-increase-from-sponsors-on-the-back-of-fifa-launch/">charging around US$100 million</a> (£82 million) for a four-year sponsorship deal).</p>
<p>One notably successful ambush was perpetrated by Bavaria Beer’s provocative campaigns at the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/jun/19/marketingandpr.worldcup2006">2006 World Cup in Germany</a> and again in <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8743881.stm">2010 in South Africa</a>. These stunts involved equipping spectators with branded clothing, which was smuggled into stadiums. This gained huge global attention which was no doubt frustrating for the tournaments’ “official” beer, Budweiser.</p>
<p>Yet even ambush marketing now appears to have become geopoliticised. For instance, during this World Cup, the authorities in nearby Dubai have been trying to draw attention away from Qatar with a tourism campaign featuring international <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCjq3FOoB3A">football stars</a>. The rival emirate will also be staging its own <a href="https://www.timeoutdubai.com/news/dubai-super-cup-liverpool-arsenal-ac-milan">football tournament</a> at the same time as the World Cup, featuring the likes of Liverpool, AC Milan and Arsenal.</p>
<p>And while in 2010, Bavaria Beer used women wearing orange dresses in its ambush, the UK-based brewer and pub chain BrewDog is trying to get in on this year’s action with its strident <a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/11/07/brewdog-unveils-anti-sponsorship-qatar-world-cup">anti-World Cup marketing campaign</a>.</p>
<p>Through a series of provocative billboards (in the UK), BrewDog is using references to autocracy, human rights abuses and corruption, all targeted at beer drinkers perturbed about Qatar’s staging of football’s biggest global event. While the bottom-line remains the same for BrewDog – to make a profit by selling beer – it is nevertheless contributing to the transformation of advertising and sponsorship from simple marketing to geopolitical posturing.</p>
<p>In a similar way, apparel brand Hummel has decided to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/hummel-stance-qatar-human-rights-is-strategic-decision-say-industry-experts-2022-09-29/">hide its name and logos</a> and the Danish football association’s badge from its kit. This is in protest against the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar and in support of LGBTQ+ communities.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-qatars-frantic-countdown-to-a-football-tournament-full-of-controversy-191918">World Cup 2022: Qatar's frantic countdown to a football tournament full of controversy</a>
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<p>In the company’s mission statement, Hummel emphasises its commitment to “Danishness” – and indeed, Denmark has been highly vocal in its condemnation of Qatar. Whenever the national team takes to the field, it will be in shirts that directly challenge the World Cup hosts. </p>
<p>So Qatar’s expensive ambitions in staging this tournament have come up against criticism and protest from countries and corporations alike. In 2022 it seems that football sponsorship is no longer just for kicks, or even customers. Everywhere you look, there are geopolitical points to be scored.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195140/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Chadwick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The mighty power of football across the globe.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy, SKEMA Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1952422022-11-25T16:20:00Z2022-11-25T16:20:00ZThe Qatar World Cup is beaming misogyny around the world<p>One of the fundamental questions relating to the 2022 World Cup being hosted by Qatar is what message this gives to women and girls around the world. Fifa <a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/human-rights#:%7E:text=%E2%80%9CFIFA%20is%20committed%20to%20respecting%20all%20internationally%20recognised,UN%20Guiding%20Principles%20on%20Business%20and%20Human%20Rights">purports to uphold human rights</a>. Its decision, in 2010, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/qatar-win-2022-world-cup-bid">award</a> the hosting duties for the 2022 tournament to Qatar was not, however, without controversy. </p>
<p>In the 12 years since, these issues have only intensified. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-world-cup-puts-the-spotlight-on-qatar-but-also-brings-attention-to-its-human-rights-record-and-politics-4-things-to-know-194970">treatment of migrant workers</a> throughout the run-up to the event has garnered continued attention, as has the way <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-fifas-clampdown-on-rainbow-armbands-conflicts-with-its-own-guidance-on-human-rights-194485">LGBTQ+ rights</a> <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/2015/05/27/fifa-bribery-corruption-qatar-world-cup-worst-ever/28014953/">and women’s rights</a> are contravened by local law.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/stopping-violence-against-women-starts-with-learning-what-misogyny-really-is-175411">Misogyny</a>, a sexist contempt and hatred of women, aims to keep women in a lower position than men within a patriarchal society. With discrimination against women enshrined in Qatari law – which, among other things does not criminalise domestic violence or sexual assault – misogyny is being beamed through televisions internationally, via the means of the 2022 men’s football World Cup.</p>
<h2>Women in Qatar</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/qatar">Qatari law</a>
undergirds a profoundly patriarchal system. Sex outside of marriage is banned and Qatari women can only marry with the permission of a male guardian. </p>
<p>This controversial system of male guardianship also shapes women’s ability to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/29/were-treated-as-children-qatari-women-tell-rights-group">study, drive and travel</a>. Men have the unquestioned right to divorce, yet the grounds on which a woman can apply for divorce is limited. Wives are expected to obey husbands and their priority is seen to be home making. </p>
<p>Women <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/03/29/everything-i-have-do-tied-man/women-and-qatars-male-guardianship-rules">cannot pass</a> nationality on to their children, as men can, nor can they be their children’s primary carer in case of divorce or the death of their husband. Female beneficiaries only get half of any inheritance their brothers receive. </p>
<p>Women are asked to provide proof of marriage to receive sexual health and antenatal care. And they have to abide by a strict <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09649429610109271/full/html?casa_token=naTUyIdS9wgAAAAA:wqUgZBFDLUqiTioqcQJYMkymKOKVfNcmEUzYWCkZr_kVmJEm-pJsYcd5179NhHKCSX4sDIu6Aklz1m6_l92YYnXaAmRdQE9zn_wOW1ldYnuJu4KF_o0">dress code</a>. </p>
<p>Crucially, domestic violence and rape is not criminalised. While family law forbids moral or physical assault by husbands against wives, reporting domestic abuse or sexual violence is frowned upon as it is seen to bring <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gender-Violence-Praeger-Security-International/dp/0313359954/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1174279316512322&hvadid=73392656152523&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=4900&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-73392591771253%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=10841_1825545&keywords=gender+and+violence+in+the+middle+east&qid=1669211683&sr=8-1">shame upon the family</a>.</p>
<p>Both the lack of prosecution for domestic violence and the victim blaming that surrounds sexual assault point towards possible risks for any women attending the World Cup. Research <a href="https://rss.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1740-9713.2012.00606.x">shows</a> that women face a heightened risk of <a href="https://theathletic.com/3583817/2022/09/22/world-cup-sexual-violence/">sexual assault</a> at any major sports tournament. It also shows, in the UK, the increase in domestic violence <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022427813494843">around World Cup matches</a> and other <a href="https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/lessons-learned-from-the-domestic-violence-enforcement-campaigns-2006/">big sporting tournaments</a>. </p>
<h2>Women at the World Cup</h2>
<p>Reports <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/18/fifa-theres-not-a-woman-i-know-that-is-going-to-the-world-cup-in-qatar-17769410/">have highlighted</a> that this heightened risk has already resulted in many women not wanting to travel to Qatar for the World Cup. This, in itself, is discriminatory. </p>
<p>Those who do head for Doha <a href="https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/qatar/local-laws-and-customs">are advised</a> to follow a strict dress code. Fifa’s <a href="https://news.abplive.com/news/fifa-world-cup-wearing-shorts-revealing-clothes-in-qatar-may-land-you-in-jail-1563943">position</a> on this is unclear. It states that people attending matches can wear what they want but also that they <a href="https://theislamicinformation.com/news/qatar-jail-women-wearing-inappropriate-clothing/">must respect local laws</a>. When in public, women in Qatar are expected to <a href="https://core.ac.uk/reader/17244280">cover up</a>. They must forgo tight clothing and not show their cleavage, knees or shoulders, and contravening these rules can result in prison or fines. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/qatar/local-laws-and-customs">Official advice</a> for travellers published by the UK government also covers strict laws against relationships outside of marriage. There are multiple cases of visitors being punished for being seen to be in contravention of these laws. In June 2021, a <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/world-cup-worker-threatened-100-lashes-after-sexual-assault-qatar-1680871">Mexican world cup official</a> reported that she was sexually assaulted. As a result of this, she was accused of extramarital sex, which is against Qatari laws, rather than being seen as a victim of sexual violence. This saw her threatened with imprisonment and 100 lashes. </p>
<p>And in 2020, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/21/australian-women-sue-qatar-airways-over-forced-examinations-at-doha-airport">13 Australian</a> women were forcibly removed, at gunpoint, from grounded Qatar Airways planes in Doha. They were then forced to undergo internal examinations, without their consent, as officials sought to find the mother of a newborn baby who had been found in the airport. </p>
<p>This subordination of women is in direct conflict with <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/">human rights laws</a>. The <a href="https://www.unfpa.org/resources/human-rights-women">United Nations</a> and the <a href="https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/convention_eng.pdf">European Convention on Human Rights </a> categorically state that any compromise of women’s rights contravenes international human rights laws. </p>
<p>Significant progress has been made in terms of women’s rights worldwide in the <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/08-03-2020-women-s-health-and-rights-25-years-of-progress">last 25 years</a>, not least in the sphere of football itself. <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-football-needs-a-gender-revolution-182394">Women’s football</a> has gathered enormous traction of late, particularly with the success of the England women’s team winning the European cup.</p>
<p>By holding the men’s World Cup in Qatar, and thereby not sanctioning the lack of progress the country has made in terms of women’s rights, the impression given is that these rights are discretionary. Preventing discrimination and violence against women and girls, however, is never optional. This is not a cultural issue. It is a serious breach of human rights.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195242/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sophie King-Hill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Qatari law underpins a patriarchal and misogynistic system. The discrimination women, including female football fans, face contravenes international human rights.Sophie King-Hill, Senior Fellow at the Health Services Management Centre, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1942982022-11-25T13:30:19Z2022-11-25T13:30:19ZWorld Cup 2022: heat on Qatar diverts attention from Fifa’s failure to tackle proven corruption<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494683/original/file-20221110-13-ln9nex.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/martin-slovakia-16-july-2022-official-2184123683">kovop58/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 men’s football World Cup has provoked a fair degree of anger and confusion. Why, <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/qatar-world-cup-why-the-2022-tournament-is-so-controversial-from-migrant-worker-deaths-to-lgbt-rights-12731274">many have asked</a>, was the tournament awarded to a country with <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/">such a poor record on human rights</a> in general and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63498964">LGBTQ+ rights</a> in particular?</p>
<p>Allegations of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/08/football-corruption-and-the-remarkable-road-to-qatar-world-cup">corruption within the process</a> by which Qatar was awarded the tournament have also been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/sports/soccer/qatar-and-russia-bribery-world-cup-fifa.html">much discussed</a>. However, with all the heat Qatar is taking, there’s a danger that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/samindrakunti/2019/12/28/crashing-down-a-decade-of-corruption-cripples-fifa/?sh=4fc246f76cd4">proven corruption</a> at Fifa and its subsequent failure to reform may not receive the attention it deserves.</p>
<p>Two external inquiries – one by <a href="https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/justice_corruption-at-fifa--25-criminal-cases-and-a-prosecutor-in-hot-water/45800868">Swiss prosecutors</a> and the other by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) – have investigated claims of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering by people in and around Fifa.</p>
<p>The Swiss investigations looked in particular at fraud, mismanagement and misappropriation of Fifa funds by high-ranking Fifa officials. Numerous cases are ongoing and several people have been convicted, although former Fifa president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michael Platini <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/08/sepp-blatter-and-michel-platini-acquitted-of-fraud-swiss-court">were acquitted</a> (after an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/dec/21/sepp-blatter-michel-platini-banned-from-football-fifa">eight-year ban</a> from professional football by Fifa). The Qatari football executive and government minister <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/sport/20201030-ex-fifa-official-convicted-psg-official-cleared-in-swiss-corruption-trial">Nasser al-Khelaïfi</a> was also cleared in the Swiss corruption trial. </p>
<p>The DoJ’s focus was more on the distribution of media rights, bribery and money laundering. The US inquiry has investigated the behaviour of Fifa officials over decades. <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-additional-distribution-approximately-92-million-victims-fifa">More than 50 individual and corporate defendants</a> have been criminally charged mostly in connection with alleged bribes and the laundering of those payments. Four corporations and 27 people pleaded guilty to various bribery and money-laundering charges.</p>
<p>Several people have been convicted, others acquitted, and a number of the cases are ongoing, largely of individuals <a href="https://guyanachronicle.com/2022/11/18/former-fifa-vice-president-jack-warner-loses-appeal-against-extradition-from-trinidad/">fighting extradition</a> to the US. The DoJ has subsequently seized over <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/fifa-receive-over-201-million-forfeited-funds-corruption-probe-2021-08-24/">US$201 million</a> (£170 million) from the accounts of former officials involved in the corruption schemes. </p>
<p>The DoJ has also accused three officials of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/sports/soccer/qatar-and-russia-bribery-world-cup-fifa.html">accepting bribes</a> for awarding world cup tournaments to Russia and Qatar. Two are now dead and the third, Brazilian Ricardo Teixeira, cannot be extradited. He denies all charges but <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12027/11873686/fifa-bans-brazilian-official-ricardo-teixeira-over-bribery">has been banned</a> from professional football for life by Fifa over allegations of accepting bribes related to South American competitions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man gesticulates while speaking at a lectern with a small football on it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494676/original/file-20221110-13-i3h2op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494676/original/file-20221110-13-i3h2op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494676/original/file-20221110-13-i3h2op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494676/original/file-20221110-13-i3h2op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494676/original/file-20221110-13-i3h2op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494676/original/file-20221110-13-i3h2op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494676/original/file-20221110-13-i3h2op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former Fifa Sepp Blatter was acquitted in the Swiss case.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/search/sepp-blatter">360b/Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Those directly involved in steering Qatar’s bid have always denied any wrongdoing. <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/11969691/world-cup-2022-in-qatar-new-bribe-and-corruption-claims-from-us-prosecutors">Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy</a> has argued: “Despite years of false claims, evidence has never been produced to demonstrate that Qatar won the rights to host the Fifa World Cup 2022 unethically or by means that contravened Fifa’s strict bidding rules.”</p>
<h2>What counts as corruption?</h2>
<p>As I argued in <a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/analysing-corruption/9781911116554">my book Analysing Corruption</a>, there will never be a universal consensus on what corruption is. One person’s clever political deal is another’s act of corruption. A good starting point for making sense of where corruption begins and ends is to keep an eye out for four things. </p>
<p>First, corruption is deliberate. No person is accidentally corrupt. Corruption isn’t an act of mismanagement. It happens as people want it to happen.</p>
<p>Second, corruption involves some sort of abusive behaviour. To pin down where “abuse” begins and ends we need to be clear on what the rules of engagement are. We need to know what a given job spec says. Only then can we be sure someone has gone beyond that in making decisions.</p>
<p>Third, corruption involves entrusted power. That power can come via the ballot box (politicians) or it can come via appointment (civil servants or, for example, Fifa officials).</p>
<p>Finally, there has to be some sort of private gain. There must be an output – be it money, reputation or services rendered – that would not otherwise have been forthcoming.</p>
<p>All of those four points can be (and indeed are) contested. But as a starter for ten, they nonetheless offer a framework to make sense of what are often complex processes.</p>
<p>Using this definition, there’s no clear behaviour that directly links the Qatar bid to corruption in securing the right to the 2022 World Cup. There’s even a case to be made that the Qataris – like the <a href="https://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/mens-world-cup-2018-guide/corruption-and-politics-at-the-2018-world-cup-russia-under-the-spotlight/">Russians</a> (2018), <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jun/04/fifa-corruption-crisis-fbi-inquiry-now-includes-2014-world-cup-in-brazil">Brazilians</a> (2014), <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-world-cup/story/2482914/morocco-not-south-africa-won-2010-world-cup-vote-report">South Africans</a> (2010) and <a href="https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/centre-for-the-study-of-corruption/2015/11/11/franz-please-say-it-aint-so/">Germans</a> (2006) – simply followed the rules and indeed the logic that underpinned those rules. </p>
<p>Michael Garcia, a former US attorney, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-fifa-garcia-report-20170627-story.html">pointed out</a> when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/27/fifa-secret-report-world-cup-2022-leaked">conducting an independent ethics investigation</a> into the bidding process that those leading the Qatari operation may well have pushed those rules to the limit. However, they were arguably very good at playing Fifa’s game. The rules may well have been unfit for purpose or morally objectionable, but that doesn’t make the Qatari behaviour corrupt.</p>
<p>As exposed by the Swiss and US investigations, a significant number of Fifa representatives have deliberately abused their positions of entrusted power for private gain. All four of the above corruption criteria have been met in these cases. Take the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/dec/22/fifa-trial-two-ex-officials-found-guilty-on-multiple-charges-of-corruption">two former officials who were convicted in 2017</a>, Juan Ángel Napout of Paraguay, a former Fifa vice-president, and José Maria Marin, the former head of Brazil’s football association. </p>
<p>Napout was forced to forfeit US$3.3 million in bribes received and fined US$1 million. He was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/former-fifa-executive-president-conmebol-and-paraguayan-soccer-official-sentenced-nine">found guilty</a> of conspiratorial racketeering and two counts of wire fraud conspiracy. Marin was sentenced <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45277581">to four years</a> in prison and fined US$1.2 million and ordered to forfeit US$3.3 million. </p>
<p>Then there are those awaiting sentencing, such as former Fifa council executive member <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fifa-chile-ban-idUSKCN0XX0ZF">Luis Bedoya</a> who was found guilty of <a href="https://thetimeshub.in/luis-bedoya-the-colombian-soccer-leader-who-lost-his-name-and-even-his-wallet-after-the-fifa-gate/6314/">bank transfer fraud and bribery conspiracy</a>. Bedoya pleaded guilty in November 2015 but his sentencing continues to be delayed. </p>
<p>There are more potential legal cases out there, the most obvious of which being that of another former Fifa vice-president, Jack Warner. The DoJ alleges that Warner was paid US$5 million through various shell companies to vote for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and continues to try and <a href="https://theathletic.com/3907611/2022/11/17/jack-warner-extradition/">extradite him</a> to the US from Trinidad. Warner denies any charges of wrongdoing. </p>
<h2>Where does Fifa go next?</h2>
<p>While there has been proven corruption within Fifa, the organisational culture nonetheless appears to remain much the same. Fifa created a set of new institutions to oversee its work in 2012. However, at the height of the corruption cases in 2017, it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/sports/soccer/fifa-ethics-committee-fired.html">fired</a> the independent chairs of the investigatory and adjudicatory branches of the ethics committee and the chair of the governance committee. Those sackings then prompted several <a href="https://blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/business-law-blog/blog/2018/07/reforming-fifa-inside-out">remaining members of these committees to resign in protest</a>. </p>
<p>The two ousted chairmen <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/10/ousted-fifa-ethics-heads-investigating-hundreds-corruption-cases">stated that they were in the process of investigating hundreds</a> of corruption cases that would be stalled for years and that their removal “neutralised” and “incapacitated” Fifa’s corruption investigations. </p>
<p>The bodies still exist, but they have not had anything like the broader impact that had been hoped for. This is reflected in instances where Fifa has taken no action or stance on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/dec/06/fifa-dependence-russia-ioc-ban-david-conn">clear ethical violations since</a>, such as Russia’s ban from taking part in the Olympics because of doping violations.</p>
<p>This lack of change might well be because Fifa has argued that it is the victim of corruption, not the source of it. In <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/sports/soccer/fifa-trial.html">a statement released</a> when Napout and Marin were convicted, Fifa asserted that it “strongly supports and encourages the US authorities’ efforts to hold accountable those individuals who abused their positions and corrupted international football for their own personal benefit”.</p>
<p>But it appears that even with those charged with corruption leaving, Fifa needs a cultural shift towards more transparency and accountability. In research on Fifa’s response to corruption, my colleague Will Heaston <a href="https://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/69902/">and I have argued</a> its leaders have failed to understand the problems they face. As such, Fifa has found it very difficult to embrace meaningful reform. </p>
<p>Fifa will likely attempt to bluster its way through the 2022 tournament before concentrating on what’s set to be a less controversial 2026 event in North America. It’ll also focus its attention on its various other moneymaking activities. However, it shouldn’t be allowed to continue without making meaningful institutional change in the face of deep seated corruption, lest it happen again.</p>
<p><em>Fifa did not respond to a request for comment.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194298/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Hough does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fifa has enacted little change to its culture to ensure corruption doesn’t occur again.Daniel Hough, Professor of Politics, University of SussexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.