Football and Politics: How This Sport Reflects in Society

Football and politics have always been connected, almost always reflecting the social and political scenario of its time. With national pride and political propaganda, the game is used as a tool for unity, division, and even conflict. Whether the government is getting involved with football clubs or some gestures of players on the field, football is always seen as a place to express your political side.

Beyond the pitch, football is important in international relations, influencing diplomatic ties between countries. Throughout history, huge tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup have been the stage for political speeches in every continent. At the same time, the national teams carry weight on their jerseys, bringing each country’s identity and declaring their support for something or someone in politics.

Football has also been a place for social justice, with players and fans around the world using football to draw attention to political issues such as racism and human rights violations.

So, come with me, and let’s explore how football and politics can be interconnected, with political propaganda and weird FIFA World Cup moments. We will see how wars, government interference, and protests have changed the sport, showing key moments on and off the pitch where football has been much more than a game.

Table of Contents

• Football and Politics: How This Sport Reflects in Society
• Political Influence on Football Clubs and National Teams
• FIFA World Cup as a Political Stage
• Football and War: The Sport in Times of Conflict
• Protests and Social Justice in Football
• Football and Politics in Africa
• Political Scandals in FIFA and UEFA
• Future of Football and Politics
• Make Soccer a Better Place with FootballTeam

Political Influence on Football Clubs and National Teams

Anti-fascist flags of St. Pauli’s fans via Green Left

Football clubs and national teams have been influenced for a long time by political ideologies and government influence. Many clubs around the world were founded with political allegiance, representing working-class movements, nationalist sentiments, and ties with regimes at the time.

On the field, players represented the political desires of each country, so a victory or a defeat symbolized much more than a result but a power relationship between countries that competed in a game or tournament. Thus, we can see how much football and politics are linked to each other, much more than we thought.

Some clubs have become symbols of political resistance, and even government critics. In Germany, St. Pauli is known for its anti-fascist posture and left-wing identity in politics, attracting supporters and fans who see the club as a way of social justice.

Real Madrid CF and General Franco’s Regime

The history between Real Madrid CF and General Franco via These Football Times

On the other hand, Real Madrid is associated today with General Franco’s regime in Spain, benefiting from state support during his dictatorship. In this case, we can see how football clubs can prevail against other clubs, becoming allies of political sides to benefit on the field and reach national and European success.

Beyond club football, some national teams may be involved in political interference, sometimes leading to a ban in their tournaments. The Yugoslavia national team, with huge players, was excluded from international tournaments in the early 1990s due to the country’s civil war and UN sanctions, blocking a golden generation of players from competing.

Similarly, the two countries were affected due to their regime and war. During the apartheid between the 1940s and 1990s, South Africa was banned from FIFA competitions for decades due to its regime. This decision hindered African football and African nations a lot, showing how politics can directly influence and affect the sport, messing up the whole evolution of a team, national teams, and players worldwide.

FIFA World Cup as a Political Stage

Protests against FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 via Middle East Monitor

Sadly, the FIFA World Cup is used as a tool for political propaganda, with governments using the tournament as a way to show power and supremacy. In 1934, Italy hosted the second FIFA World Cup (the first FIFA WC was in Uruguay), under Benito Mussolini, using the competition to show the power of his fascist regime.

Three years ago, in 2022, the FIFA World Cup was hosted in Qatar with a global disagreement between fans and supporters over migrant workers’ rights, showing the world the darker side of using football to shape international relations. These cases show how governments and countries around the world manipulate football to serve their political interests.

Political Moments Messing the Football

West Germany won the 1954 FIFA World Cup final via Wikipedia

The 1954 West German national football team’s unexpected FIFA World Cup victory was a significant event in the country’s post-war recovery, demonstrating to the world that they had bounced back. Throughout football history, certain teams have become associated with political events and the regimes of their countries.

Another national team that showed its commitment to the FIFA World Cup was Argentina, winning the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The country was going through a military dictatorship, under General Secretary Jorge Rafael Videla, who used the tournament to distract people from human rights violations.

Political tensions have also occurred during the FIFA World Cup tournament, sometimes raising the level and becoming a real conflict. The “Football War” was a conflict between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969, disputing the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, but the game turned into a war between the two countries.

While football in its essence didn’t cause the conflict, the matches intensified tensions and tens of thousands began to flee the country and save their lives. This event proved how football can reflect and fuel political issues between nations.

Football and War: The Sport in Times of Conflict

West Germany won the 1974 FIFA World Cup against East Germany via Sports Net

Throughout history, wars had a huge impact on football, disrupting competitions, disbanding teams, and forcing some players into military service, with some of them not coming back since they died during the war.

Football matches between Western and Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War were more than just sporting events. They were seen as symbolic battles between communism and capitalism, with games between the Soviet Union and Western European nations taking on a particular significance.

Battles Between Nations in the FIFA World Cup and Wartime

West Germans celebrating their victory in FIFA WC via The Guardian

One famous example between nations was the 1974 FIFA World Cup match in the group stage, where West Germany faced East Germany. The East German national team won the game with a 1-0 victory, ensuring the first position of the group during the run-up. The goal was scored by Sparwasser as a symbol of intense political division between these countries.

Football also had political resistance during the war. One of the most famous cases is the Dynamo Kyiv team, where the players challenged the Nazi troops who occupied the country during World War II.

Dynamo Kyiv was forced to play a match against the Nazis, and the Ukrainians fought to avoid defeat, despite being threatened with death – but nothing helped since many were killed after the game or sent to concentration camps.

The history became known as The Death Game, showing that football can be more than a sport – some people gave their lives, literally, against oppression.

Protests and Social Justice in Football

Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their arms in the Summer Olympics 1968 via TT Book

Football has been a platform for protests and activism since its inception. Players have used the sport to highlight social justice issues throughout its history. For example, in the 1960s, black players like Pelé and Eusébio began a movement for greater representation. At the 1968 Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their arms in protest against racial injustice.

More recently, the Black Lives Matter movement has drawn attention within the football community. Premier League and national teams have protested before matches to demonstrate solidarity against racism. However, this has caused some fans and sponsors to question whether football and politics should mix, expressing concerns about the future of the sport.

Other Football Protests (Premier League and Women’s Football)

Megan Rapinoe’s protest via The Washington Times

Protests in football also try to hit authoritarian regimes and political issues. Clubs and national teams refused to play against opponents from countries with problematic politics, such as boycotts against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

China also faces criticism for human rights violations from players, football clubs, and even Chinese fans. In addition, Mesut Özil openly criticizes the treatment of people against Muslims. In some moments, after criticism and denial by the fans, there was a loss of sponsorships, showing the risks of activism in the modern football era.

Every season, football players and clubs seek social justice. Marcus Rashford, an English player of Aston Villa, became an important figure in the fight against child hunger in England, Northern Ireland, and other countries of the UK. The player started a campaign against hunger and forced the government to hold an election to increase free school meals in the communities.

Other players, like Megan Rapinoe, defend gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights, showing that football can help change this culture, not only inside the stadium. These examples show that it is a cultural prejudice of society, and football arguably can help change this.

Football and Politics in Africa

Cameroon national team during the 1990 FIFA World Cup game via Trivela

In Africa, football is used for national pride and political propaganda to bring its fans closer to the country. Some African nations gained independence in the mid-20th century, and the government took advantage of football to strengthen the country’s image internationally.

It was quickly seen that the population accepted the national teams, as it was with Cameroon in the 1990 FIFA World Cup when African football enchanted the world and the Cameroonians reached seventh place in the greatest football tournament in the world. However, political interference in football clubs and national teams led to corruption and mismanagement, limiting the potential of African football and great players.

This kind of political pressure has become recurrent on the African continent, and being an opposition to the current government can bring serious problems to the players since the government controls football federations.

Political Influence in Zaire

Mobutu Sese Seko and George H. W. Bush in 1989 via Wikipedia

Mobutu Sese Seko, the former dictator of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), used his political power to ensure that Zaire was the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko threatened the Zaire team after they lost 9-0 to Yugoslavia, warning them against embarrassing the nation again. The threat became very real before their match against Brazil: lose by four or more goals, and face dire consequences. Zaire lost 3-0, and a peculiar incident occurred. During a Brazil free kick, a Zaire player kicked the ball away to prevent another goal and avoid a potentially fatal outcome.

Political Scandals in FIFA and UEFA

Joseph Blatter was the target of protests in 2015 via O Globo

FIFA and UEFA have already been targets of accusations and political scandals. The most notable happened in 2015 when a comedian threw several fake dollars under Joseph Blatter, former president of FIFA. Blatter was being accused of receiving bribes to sell the rights to the FIFA World Cup.

This scandal demonstrated that politics influenced football, and that personal and political interests were prioritized. Subsequent investigations revealed that countries with strong political ties had an advantage in the bidding process to host the World Cup. This once again proved to everyone that football and politics are intertwined.

Arab Investment Fund

PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Neymar Jr. via Daily Mail

The significant financial investments made by governments and billionaires in European football have sparked controversy. Clubs like Manchester City in the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain in League One, managed by Arab families with considerable political influence, exemplify this trend.

It is evident that these owners have political motivations behind their sponsorships, aiming to generate political propaganda. Their actions have inflated the player market, making transfers worth 100 million euros commonplace. This has destabilized traditional clubs and raised concerns about the sustainability of the current football landscape.

2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and Russia and Ukraine War

Stadium 974 was built for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar via ESPN

The influence of politics and governments continues to affect football decisions, such as in the 2022 FIFA World Cup host selection and the suspension of Russia from international competitions due to its invasion of Ukraine.

The decision of the World Cup to be in Qatar was well questioned due to concerns about human rights violations, migrant workers, and the country’s political environment.

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine resulted in Russia’s ban from UEFA and FIFA competitions, which further exemplifies how political tensions can impact sports, particularly football.

Future of Football and Politics

Argentina against Saudi Arabia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar via CNN World

Looking to the future, football has continued to be a way for political influence and has grown more and more, especially in major events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. We can expect countries to continue using football to promote their image internationally.

With nations competing to host huge events, concerns about human rights and the treatment of workers remain a problem. Social movements will continue to shape and help the future of football, particularly in terms of inclusion and the fight against discrimination.

Players, clubs, and governments are increasingly involved in social movements for racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender equality. It’s necessary that inclusion happens in football and increases more in the years to come. With these movements gaining importance, football will become more inclusive and less discriminatory.

What Can We Expect From Football?

2026 FIFA World Cup Official Brand via Sporting KC

As football continues to evolve, finding a balance between its entertainment value and its inevitable political ties will be crucial. While fans are captivated by the sport’s magic, it cannot be entirely separated from important social and political movements. Football will continue to have a complex relationship with these issues, but it must remain strong to ensure that everyone’s rights are protected.

Several questions arise as we look forward to improvements: Should football strive for neutrality, or will it always reflect the society and politics surrounding it? Have we successfully separated football from government and political influence, or is that no longer feasible? The answers may be unclear and complex, but one thing remains certain: football will always be a significant platform for highlighting social and political movements. Now, I invite you to share your thoughts on these issues!

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