Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, took the illustrious trophy and handed it to the president of Brazil, Dilma Rouseff. In turn, shegave it to Philippe Lahm, the captain of the victorious German team. The FIFA World Cup cemented its place as the world’s foremost sporting spectacle as millions watched the Germans crowned world champions amongst a fanfare of fireworks, glitter, and music. Earlier, Blatter had taken his seat between Dilma Rouseff, Angela Merkel, and Vladimir Putin. The position of FIFA president grants access to the most powerful politicians in the world. Football has become a global political and financial juggernaut. Celebrity footballers graced the pitches of Brazil, in state of the art stadia that cost millions of dollars. Off the pitch, global brands purchased exclusive marketing rights to align their products with Brazil 2014, whilst global media companies bought television packages at similarly eye-watering prices. As the 2014 tournament leaves one of its spiritual homes, our attention turns to the next two hosts. Neither Russia nor Qatar have ever hosted the World Cup, and both have attracted widespread attention for the manner in which they won the rights to host the tournament. In order to account for these changes, this essay will argue that the transformation of FIFA since the 1970s aligns with wider global neo-liberal processes. As global institutions lack accountability to any singular national or supranational authority, personal contacts are exploited and corruption becomes endemic.
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The importance of sport within the soft power strategies of nations is illustrated by governing bodies, such as FIFA and the IOC who have more member countries than the United Nations. Soft power refers to: “the ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment” (Nye 2008: 94) In addition, sport is easily accessible as a result of vast media platforms which create a huge potential viewing audience, as in the case of the 2012 London Olympics which made the games available to 4.8 billion people (International Olympic Committee, 2012). Resultantly, sport mega events provide the best opportunity to portray a nation in a manner that may have enhance attractiveness. FIFA have previously expressed their desire to extend their operations further than just within football. Analysing past, present and future host nations of sport mega-events, it is possible to see how they empower peripheral nations to imprint their national identities on global sport. Rowe (2012) claims that the process of choosing a host nation through bidding and selection allows “many opportunities for the enjoyment of lavish hospitality and for corrupt, or at the very least ethically questionable, practices” (Rowe, 2012: 287)
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Soccer is a hugely important force in the world today, so it is time for the sport to clean up its act. Brazil can be proud of the World Cup it held...There were the dodgy calls, blatant flops and Luis Suárez’s bizarre bite, but the perfect last-minute score by Mario Götze, which gave the Cup to Germany, is the more accurate icon of the four-and-a-half-week tournament. In all, the World Cup demonstrated why football, a.k.a. soccer, is the most global and popular of sports. And why it is time for FIFA to measure up to the sport it governs. These days, a permanent stench seems to hang over FIFA, the organization that has governed world soccer since 1904 and, in recent years, has been linked directly or indirectly to all sorts of financial mismanagement, bribery, embezzlement and match-fixing. Soccer is a hugely important force in the world today. Its stewards should do everything in their power to keep it clean, safe and fair.
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