Samir Gelb MA Thesis with Edits June 2019
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FIFA’s Goal: The Role of FIFA in International Football Development By Samir Gelb 749682 A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Supervisor: Professor Rod Alence 1 Plagiarism Declaration I declare that this research report is my own, unaided work. It is being submitted for the degree of Masters of Art in International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. I understand that the University of the Witwatersrand may take disciplinary action against me if there is a belief that this is not my own work and/or that I have failed to acknowledge the source of the ideas or words in my writing. Name: Samir Ivan Gelb Signed: Date: 28 June 2019 2 Table of Contents: Acronyms 6 Chapter 1 – Introduction 7 Chapter 2 – Methodology 13 Chapter 3 – Theory 15 3.1 – Constructivism 15 3.2 – Liberalism 17 3.3 – Marxism 17 3.4 - World Systems Theory 19 Chapter 4 - FIFA: The Organisation 21 4.1 - History (1904 – 2019) 21 4.2 - Current Governance and Organisational Structures 27 Figure 1: FIFA’s Confederations 30 Figure 2: How the FIFA Council is Composed 32 4.3 - FIFA’s Finances 33 Figure 3: FIFA’s Revenues For Financial Cycle 2015-2018 37 Figure 4: FIFA’s Expenses For Financial Cycle 2015-2018 38 4.4 - The World Cup 42 4.5 - 2015 Corruption Scandal 45 Chapter 5 - African Football and FIFA 53 5.1 - African Football and Nation-Building 53 5.2 - Africa’s Struggles in Qualifying for the World Cup 55 5.3 - The Realisation of Africa’s Political Potential 59 3 5.4 - African Football Today 61 5.5 - The African Diaspora in Football 62 Chapter 6 - FIFA and Third-Party Interference 64 6.1 – FIFA’s Football Legal System 64 6.2 – FIFA and Suspensions of Member Associations 65 Table 1 - Summary of Sanctions Given to FIFA Member Associations which led to a warning or a suspension between 1961 and 2019 68 Chapter 7 - Analysing FIFA’s Role in Development 73 7.1 – FIFA and Hosting the World Cup 75 7.2 – Corruption and Football Development 76 7.3 – FIFA and National Governments 78 7.4 - FIFA, Politics and Football 80 7.5 – Further Reforms 81 7.6 - Concluding Comments 84 Bibliography 86 FIFA Documents and Statements 98 Sanctions Table Bibliography 101 Appendix A: List Of FIFA Sanctions 107 4 Acronyms AFC: Asian Football Confederation AFCON: African Cup of Nations CAF: Confederation of African Football CAS: Court of Arbitration for Sport CBF: Brazilian Football Confederation CONCACAF: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football CONIFA: Confederation of Independent Football Associations CONMEBOL: Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol FA: The Football Association of England FASA: Football Association of South Africa FIFA: Federation Internationale de Football Association FLN: National Liberation Front of Algeria GI: Government Interference IFAB: International Football Association Board ISL: International Sport and Leisure OFC: Oceania Football Confederation PSG: Paris Saint-Germain RICO Act: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act SAFA: South African Football Association TANU: Tanganyika African National Union UEFA: Union of European Football Associations 5 Chapter 1: Introduction This thesis investigates and seeks to understand and explain what role FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), football’s world governing body, plays as an international organisation within the world of football. The central research question that this thesis seeks to answer is “Do FIFA’s actions towards African football associations stimulate development of football in those nations?” Other research questions that this thesis would seek to answer include: What role does FIFA play as an international organisation? What do states gain out of hosting sporting mega-events such as the World Cup? Do these events aid in development? And finally, does FIFA suspend states from developing nations more often than those from developed nations despite similar offences being committed? This thesis hypothesises that FIFA structures perpetuate a certain level of underdevelopment in developing states by promoting a status-quo designed mainly to increase FIFA’s profits, and ultimately this status-quo undermines the development of the game in Africa. In attempting to answer these questions, this thesis examines the role that sport (and more specifically football) plays in politics and society. This thesis examines the structures that exist within FIFA and whether these structures perpetuate the status quo in terms of development. Finally, this thesis examines cases of FIFA suspending nations for government interference, and what bearing those suspensions have on development. In approaching this subject, we also need to define what constitutes development within football, and what would then constitute developmental failures and successes within football, as well as the relationship between football and development. From increasing awareness of health issues such as HIV/AIDS and the rehabilitation of people with disabilities, to community unity and discouraging criminal behavior, sport, both competitive and recreational, has long been used to foster social cohesion and community understanding. Sport also has the ability to improve economic development through its impact upon society (Levermore and Beacom 2019). As will be discussed later on in this paper, football in particular has been used in Africa to foster nation-building in post-colonial African states. 6 Within football, defining what can be constituted as failures and successes in terms of development is also important. Obviously, a notable indicator of successful development would be success on the pitch itself, such as winning a continental competition or even the World Cup itself; not just at senior level, but across all age groups and genders. For example, while Nigeria has reached the final of multiple FIFA U-20 World Cups, they have not yet won, nor have they managed to advance beyond the first knockout round of a FIFA World Cup. However, they have won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) three times. Similarly, the Nigerian Women’s national team has won the Women’s AFCON eleven times (out of thirteen tournaments), and are one of seven nations to appear at every FIFA Women’s World Cup, yet they have only advanced out of the group stages twice (Nigerian Football Federation 2019). This suggests an imbalance of development not just between age groups and gender, but also in comparison to the rest of Africa, and the rest of the world. As a developing nation, it is no surprise that Nigeria have not been able to develop their football team as much as developing nations have. However, being a developed nation is also not a guarantor of successful football development. The United States of America, for example, is a relatively weak footballing nation in the men’s game, across all age groups, and failed to qualify for the last FIFA World Cup, in 2018. However, they have reached the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup eleven times, winning the tournament six times, and they have hosted or co-hosted every tournament since 1991. Conversely, the US Women’s national team is one of the most successful and dominant teams in the game, winning the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup eight times (out of ten tournaments), winning the World Cup three times, more than any other nation, as well as winning the Olympic gold medal on four occasions (USSF 2019). Successful development off the pitch can be defined as successful grassroots programs both in terms of player development and coaching development, as well as the existence of professional leagues for clubs. Players earning a living wage from their clubs and having their rights protected by their federations, in the event of non-payment or the collapse of a club are also indicators of successful development. While all but the lowest-ranked nations host a professional domestic league for men’s football clubs, the same is not true in the women’s game. Very few nations have fully professional leagues and clubs, and as with other industries, players are underpaid in comparison to male 7 players. Indeed, players from the US women’s team are currently involved in a legal battle with the US Soccer Federation over their lack of equal compensation (McCann 2019). Across the world, women’s football is rife with tales of lack of funding and women being either not paid or underpaid (Udoh 2019). It has resulted in a situation where a number of teams playing at the FIFA Women’s World Cup have squads made up of players who have either recently turned professional, or are still amateurs, requiring them to hold full time jobs in order to support themselves and their families. This then leads to an under-performance on the pitch, against players who are professional, as was evident in the United States’ 13-0 dismantling of Thailand in the 2019 World Cup. Thus, the successes and failures of development within football involve not just performance on the pitch, but also performance off of it. It also involves the care given to players across age groups and genders, as well as the quality of the coaching that players receive. The second and third chapters of this thesis discuss the research methodology and the theories applied in this thesis respectively. The fourth chapter is an examination of FIFA as an organisation, incorporating the history and governance structures of the organisation, as well as a discussion of the organisation’s finances, the importance of the FIFA World Cup to FIFA and the 2015 Corruption Scandal. Chapter five discusses the relationship between African football and FIFA, including pre-decolonisation, as well as the African political bloc within FIFA. Chapter six discusses the findings related to FIFA’s use of the rule surrounding third- party interference, and how that rule affects each confederation.