The Geopolitical Economy of Football: Where Power Meets Politics and Business

This book examines the new geopolitical economy of football, exploring the intersection of money, politics, and power in the world’s most popular sport. Against a background of international conflict and the emergence of powerful new state actors in world sport, the book considers how football investments and events have become instruments of soft power and industrial development, and how football plays an increasingly significant role in global politics and international relations. Featuring the work of leading researchers from around the world, and case studies from five continents, the book examines key contemporary issues such as the Gulf States’ interests in European soccer and debates around ‘sportwashing’ and human rights, the global politics of artificial intelligence (AI) in football, and football’s complex relationship with migration and identity in Africa and Latin America. It considers the seismic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the geopolitics of football; on the shifting landscape of the governance of football in Europe; the rise of Major League Soccer and the ‘Messi effect’, and how the development of China and India into global economic superpowers is reflected in their vision for their domestic football leagues. The book also considers the importance of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and their commercial partners and stakeholders as geopolitical actors on the world stage. This is a fascinating read for anybody with an interest in sport, political economy, international politics, globalisation, or development. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Contributors 1. Introduction to the Geopolitical Economy of Football PART I: Global Issues 2. The Geopolitical Economy of Football: Dense Networks, Complex Decisions 3. Will AI Turn the Football World Upside Down? 4. Football Fans: Complacent Cheerleaders Representing Nation States? 5. Image Laundering, Sport Washing and Greenwashing in and through Football 6. Unpacking the Concept of Sportswashing in Elite Men’s Professional Football in England 7. Athlete Activism in Global Football: Taking the Knee 8. Environment, Climate Change, and Football 9. How the Ukraine Conflict Affects Russian Football Clubs: The Hostages of Big Politics 10. Embraced by Gazprom: Why is the Business Model of FC Zenit Unclear to Scholars of Sports Management? PART II: Women’s Football 11. Europe and Geopolitical Influences on Women’s Football Finance 12. The Paradox of French Women’s Football 13. Gender Pay Inequality in African Football: A Pale of Two Halves 14. Exploring the Intersection of Gender and Class in Space: The Case of New Generation Stadiums in Turkey PART III: Ownership and Investment 15. Multi-Club Ownership: An Ominous Future 16. Re-Conceptualising Multi-Club Ownership in Football: A New Definition and Typology of MCO 17. The Development, Structure, and Operations of the City Football Group 18. The Benign, Brilliant, and Beautiful Soft Power of Qatar’s Paris Saint-Germain 19. Analyzing Unsuccessful Examples of Gulf Ownership and Investment in European Football 20. Red Bull’s Investment in German Football: A Game Changer for the Bundesliga? 21. Global Investment and Cultural Traditions 22. An Overview of the UK Government’s Fan-Led Review of Football Governance 23. The 3P-Model in Global Football: Creating Value by Combining Passion, Profit, and Politics on Multiple Levels PART IV: The FIFA World Cup and Tournament Football 24. Polycentric Football Tournaments 25. A Geopolitical and Economic Analysis of China’s Bid for the FIFA World Cup: Going it Alone or Co-hosting 26. FIFA World Cup 2026, Soccer’s North American Sporting Legacy 27. The Nation Branding, Public Diplomacy and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: US against the World 28. The Digital Symbolic Legacy of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup in Times of ‘Plague’ and War 29. The FIFA World Cup Television Broadcasting in Africa Through Pay-TV: Shifting Flows 30. Colombia’s Failure to Host the 1986 FIFA World Cup PART V: Business, Society and Culture 31. Football Consumption, Nostalgia, and Soft Power: Definitely Maybe! 32. The Great Game of Football Diplomacy: Australia versus Wales 33. Football, Geopolitics, and Digital Technologies: A Dynamic Nexus Shaping Global Dynamics 34. The Supranational Competitive Promise of the Three Seas Initiative in Central Europe 35. Football and Forced Migration: Sicily and the Central Mediterranean Route Index