Sports Management Commons^™

Football As Soft Power: The Political Use Of Football In Qatar, The United Arab Emirates And The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Vitas Rafael Carosella

Abdou Filali-Ansary Occasional Paper Series

In November 2022 Qatar hosts the first Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region FIFA World Cup. This paper seeks to understand the use of football as a soft power political tool in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Based on culture, values and policies, soft power is power through attraction as opposed to coercion. The stronger one player’s values, culture and policies are, the more soft power that player has. Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, traditional fossil fuel-based states, suffer from a lack of attraction. By investing in football, each nation hopes …

Using Sports To “Build It Up” Or “Wash It Down”: How Sportswashing Give Sports A Bad Name., Steve Chen, Karen Doran

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

As society evolves, sports have become a vital social function and interactive means in our modern society. This essay addresses a few recent sport news stories that ignites the discussion of “sportswashing.” The authors illustrated several news cases and examples of governments and organizations using sports to cover up inhumane acts, scandals, or controversies for political purposes and power control. The primary intent of this essay is to help readers be aware of this social trend and inspire all to make ethical and good judgement in decision-making.

Key words: Sport-for-development, sportswashing, international sports, LIV golf, and Olympics Games,