UFABET เว็บแจกเครดิตฟรี, present and future are deeply political. It is a game that has always been subject to a range of different currents, from the politics of working-class areas and historically working-class fanbases through to international political controversies involving racism and homophobia in clubs and in the wider games’ governing bodies. The global economic investment in the game by states, consortia and wealthy individuals has also opened up new pressures as clubs are increasingly used as a cash cow to fund ambitions that may run counter to on-pitch aesthetics or the fans’ sense of club identity.

Off the Pitch: Unveiling the Political Dynamics of Football

The Politics of Football: Influence Beyond the Pitch explores the complex interplay of local and international forces relating to football’s emancipatory and repressive power. Initially, European colonial powers made use of the sport as an instrument for ‘civilising’ and disciplining their colonial subjects. However, the same ‘beautiful game’ quickly became a beacon of independence movements with stadiums becoming important social spaces both locally and internationally.

From a longue durée perspective, this collection shows how the complexities of football’s contested nature can have repressive as well as emancipatory consequences. For example, whilst Mussolini used the sport to inculcate a form of morality and ethics among his people, he also recognised that the same elements that were used to civilize could be turned against his own regime – sparking hyper-nationalism or jingoism. The same is true today, as the likes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia invest heavily in the sport to try and shape the global agenda.