A colleague of mine recently stated that he’d be glad when the general election was out of the way so that he could concentrate on the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. This struck me as an interesting comment as sporting events have more often than not been about politics as much as they’ve been about sport.
In ancient Rome, the games at the Coliseum were seen as a way of ensuring the loyalty of the citizens as well as a monument to the greatness of the Empire. More recently, the stunning opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics was communist China’s attempt to present themselves as a new global superpower for the 21st century. National governments have always used sports as a means to publicise and advance their own (often political) agendas, and the World Cup is no different.
On the other side of the fence, the media often presents and analyses politics almost as if it were a sport. The Frost/Nixon TV interviews of the 1970s were portrayed in the media as if it was a gladiatorial contest between the two men. Equally, in the televised electoral debates, many of the commentators kept referring to the party leaders as if they were watching a sporting event, ‘Brown is on the ropes’, ‘will Cameron land a decisive blow’ etc.
The World Cup in South Africa is no exception to this and Jacob Zuma’s government has a lot riding on making sure that the event will be a success. South Africa can truthfully be regarded as one of the political success stories in Africa, but more often than not the Western media tends to focus on stories about political corruption, racial unrest and the continuing poor standard of living in many areas. As the most watched sporting event outside of the Olympics, and the first World Cup held in Africa, this will be a once in a lifetime chance for the government to influence global perceptions of their country.
A successful World Cup will mean positive publicity for the nation, along with the possibility of future foreign investment. Already, huge amounts of money have been spent upgrading sporting facilities and building new infrastructure. However, many have commented on whether this is the best use of public funds in a country where millions still live in relative poverty. Additionally, there have been disturbing reports in the press about forced evictions from slums to help ‘beautify’ various cities for foreign tourists.
Zuma will also be hoping for a good performance from the South African squad. Politicians are normally the first to associate themselves with a team when they do well and the first to distance themselves when they lose. England’s defeat to West Germany in the quarter finals of the 1970 World Cup has been blamed by many for Harold Wilson’s election loss a few days after. Ultimately, the success or failure of the World Cup and how it is viewed in the media will have a lasting impact on politics in South Africa far into the future.
Dr Matt Ashton, Nottingham Trent University
To speak to Dr Ashton, call the University Press Office directly on 0115 848 8782 or email worldcup@ntu.ac.uk
[To view Nottingham Trent University’s team of World Cup experts go to www.ntu.ac.uk/worldcup]
NTU World Cup 