FIFA, Long Descended into Tyranny, Erects Façade of Democratic Legitimacy

By | June 21, 2010

World Cup 2010: Fans, robbers and a marketing stunt face justice, Fifa style

Fascinating piece from the Guardian echoing my recent sentiments on FIFA becoming more like the WWF than a legitimate sporting regulatory body. With the organization spiraling for decades now into its demagoguery, recent World Cups have showcased farcical refereeing and an intangible idea of fate or destiny which is viciously guarded by FIFA. The unquestionable referees, the dodgy decisions made by institution and on-field actors, the politics hidden behind a curtain of secrecy; things like this make one wonder just where is the game going. With all the rhetoric about “preserving” a game that is unrecognizable in comparison to its 19th century institutional origin, the idea of the global market is an all too obvious inspiration that architects FIFA policies. Cue the group of female Dutch fans, arrested and held in a special FIFA court for wearing a number of similar orange dresses, accused of being guerilla marketers, unwelcome invaders in the FIFA dictatorship.

Category: FIFA Rules and Referees Soccer Business Soccer Politics Tags: , , ,

About Joaquin Bueno

I am a grad student in the Romance Studies department. Currently I'm starting my dissertation, which will be a study of the importance of football in Franco's dictatorship in Spain during the 50's and 60's, the first "Golden Age" of Spanish football. I hope to also explore cultural politics and power structures in the age of global democracy. My teams are my two hometowns: Celta de Vigo (Spain), and also DC United (though I haven't followed them since the first season of MLS). I also play pick-up every week with varying degrees of success.

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