Contrary to the popular maxim that certain issues are simply “indisputable”, the world of the 21st century reveals day by day what history has always insisted on showing us: it is simply impossible to ignore all this. dimensions of our existence include political choices through action or omission. This also applies – and why not – to football.
Major sporting events tend to raise such debates not only because they serve as a stage for extraordinary events, but also because they create them. push can initiate the necessary discussions. In the 2022 World Cup, we witnessed that one of these chapters was written.
In addition to the ability of an event of this size to educate people about countries and their characteristics, the Cup serves as a window to uncover international political drama and provide visibility into issues often beyond the reach of the general public.
In addition to the teams’ sporting strategies, formations and performances in matches, stimuli come from many directions and in this case the championship starts with discussions involving the host country. It is impossible to attend the World Cup in Qatar without contacting the country’s numerous issues, particularly women and the LGBTQIA+ community, such as human rights violations, corruption accusations and slavery-like work practices. Thanks to the World Cup, the whole world is now focused on it.
In addition to racism complaints, audience awareness also took place in the demonstrations regarding censorship and suppression of individual freedoms. In recent days, the world media has heavily reported the image of the German national team players covering their mouths while taking official pictures a few minutes before taking the field. They did this to protest the ban on wearing captain armbands in the “One Love” campaign.
Likewise, when brought to the football field in any way, local and international conflicts come into focus. Looking at what’s going on in Saudi Arabia and Iran, for example, has become iconic in these first weeks of the World Cup.
Regarding Brazil, the first match in the Cup brought a new moment in the political bickering for national symbols like our colors and our flag. It also encompassed a conflict between who we considered to be our legitimate spokespersons (Neymar or Richarlison), our external reputation, and the need to make a national process of pacification viable after so much exposure to violence and the normalization of chaos.
Studies involving “sports and international relations” are numerous and increasingly in-depth. Nationalism and cultural identity, strategic state interests and the role of transnational powers in shaping the global agenda, sports and sports as a tool for public diplomacy. national brandingin addition to issues concerning the universe of capital and consumption and related regional and international organizations.
It is a great waste of our intelligence to passively watch World Cup matches as pure entertainment, without letting the many symbols, gestures and problematizations provoke you. It is to feed on an opium that condemns us to perpetual ignorance. It is possible to be a fan and enthusiast of a sport without losing a critical and careful look at the diseases and hypocrisies of the world and our own country. In fact, it is not only possible, but necessary. The World Cup is also about that.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.