Originally published on the CGS blog on July 10, 2014.
Soccer (football) is the beautiful game. As an American this might sound strange, but I am thoroughly convinced that no sport trumps soccer in its capacity to inspire and connect people from different parts of the world. FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, is tasked with keeping the game vibrant, fair, and accessible so that everyone can enjoy it – their motto being For the Game. For the World.
Their charge is far from simple. FIFA governs 209 national soccer associations, with each member nation assigned to one of FIFA’s six regional confederations. For those keeping count, this means that FIFA has more member states than the United Nations, since FIFA recognizes 23 non-sovereign polities as nations. The fact that football is such a dearly held treasure for humankind – and consequently a lucrative business for the wealthy – means that FIFA’s conduct is felt, scrutinized, and often critiqued.
I feel that FIFA is an organization worth some thought, particularly for its function as a supranational government. It has attracted businessmen from the world over, all of whom look to capitalize on the prestige and profits of club teams. Lastly, and possibly most intriguingly for me, FIFA is very intimately tied to and affected by social currents in every corner of the world – racism, colonialism, homoantagonism, neoliberalism, globalization, and more can all be seen in the history of the teams and the organization.
This summer, I plan to write about FIFA a few times and to explore some of these curiosities. Any posts that don’t fit into the scope of GlobalSolutions.org’s mission, I will likely throw-up on my own blog, Snakes on McCain. That said, I want to begin looking more at the people FIFA affects than the structure of the beast.
Football is a game played by people, groups of people, and those groups of people have distinct histories. Similar to how one would be hard-pressed to avoid the tension of racial segregation if they attended an LA Dodgers game in the 1950s, a football match in Italy in 2012 also carries the potential for nativist and racial tension – especially when one of the star players doesn’t “look Italian,” by the estimation of right-wing groups.
The reference to Italian soccer isn’t fabricated. In 2013, AC Milan’s match against Roma was suspended because of racist chants directed toward Mario Balotelli, a black Italian player featured on Italy’s national team. Also in 2013, AC Milan’s match against Pro Patria was suspended when midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng refused to tolerate any more racial abuse by fans in the stadium. His AC Milan teammates followed him off the pitch.
Certainly, there are more incidents than the two identified above and they involved more than AC Milan and Italy. I plan to address the specifics of those incidents in later posts.
Additionally, the targets of abuse include more than simply non-whites at matches in Europe. The 2014 World Cup has already been the stage for anti-LGBT violence in the form of Mexico’s infamous, “Eh… puto!” chant; the unabashed display of neo-Nazism with a fan taking the field to showcase his HH (for “Heil Hitler”) and his Nazi SS markings; and numerous incidents of anti-black racism, including racist chants and the sporting of blackface by fans.
For the purpose of this space, I’m curious to think about FIFA’s role in this. How is the organization complicit and how can FIFA, as the steward of global football, leverage its authority to enact positive culture shifts worldwide?
Is it possible for FIFA to combat hate speech, racism, neo-Nazism, and nativism? It’s quite a pickle for a sport that often facilitates interaction between international – and therefore, “migrant,” superstars – with clubs whose fan base can be rather provincial.
Is it possible for FIFA to advocate for progressive climate action by posting eco-friendly requirements on clubs as part of FIFA’s compensation to the world for the emissions produced by football?
How does FIFA promote the game in a way that makes it loved by every person on Earth and promote the game in a way that makes enjoying the game a safe, affordable, and positive experience for every person on Earth? Can FIFA do this in a way that is not neocolonial or mired in “White Savior” complexes?
What has become increasingly irrefutable over time is the fact that FIFA’s charge to preserve and promote the sport cannot transcend the forces that shape our world. Whatever our insecurities, geopolitical arrangements, and/or particular violence and victimhood might be, they are present in the arenas, in the pubs, and on the pitch.
