De Football Association World Cup Research Articles

Interwoven Statesmanship and Sports Fandom

Social identification–based theories (fan identification and nationalism) were used to delineate whether degrees of sports fandom and/or national identity are significant predictors for television consumption of the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup. A national survey of 490 respondents was conducted at three different time periods (10 weeks before the start of the World Cup, the start of the World Cup, and immediately following Team USA’s first World Cup match) to determine whether planned media consumption of the World Cup shifted based on levels of fan identification and nationalized qualities. Using structural equation modeling, increased nationalized qualities across two of the factors (nationalism and internationalism) increased World Cup fan identification, resulting in predicting higher planned television consumption of this international megasporting event. Nationalized identity alone had no significant result on predicting television consumption of international sport. Ramifications for theory, as well as conclusions related to deciphering the complex formulation of national identity and sports fandom, are offered.

World Cup 2022 and Qatar’s construction projects: Relational power in networks and relational responsibilities to migrant workers

This article explores the relational power and responsibilities to migrant workers on physical infrastructure projects in Qatar connected to the sovereign state hosting the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2022. Currently, these construction workers operate under the Kafala system, which is upheld in Qatar. However, large numbers of Qatar’s visiting migrant construction workers were recorded as injured or killed through incidents that were related to their work. Further still, many other migrant workers reported poor, unsanitary living conditions and being ‘trapped’ by their Kafil with passports withheld or wages not forthcoming, prompting criticism from international non-governmental organizations. This article adopts a relational sociological approach to discuss how ‘responsibilities’ for deaths, injuries and illnesses are passed between key actors that include the State of Qatar, FIFA, World Cup sponsors, building contractors and sub-contractors, and the recruitment agencies that find workers in other countries to work on the construction sites. As such, it makes three scholarly contributions: it leads in unpacking and discussing the treatment of migrant construction workers in World Cup 2022 infrastructure projects in Qatar; it follows work by Timms in adding to the literature on the passing of responsibilities for migrant workers between states and corporations in globalized societies; and it uses the case to further critically unpack Castells’ notions of relational power in networks.

Naming, Shaming, and International Sporting Events

Recently, the Winter Olympic Games in Russia and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in Brazil have drawn attention as much for politics as the excitement of the competitions. Russia’s pursuance of discriminatory homosexual policies made it the target of international rights groups; Brazil’s exploitation of the poor for the sake of hosting the World Cup led to several high-profile protests ahead of the event. These large-scale international sporting competitions provide a ready-made platform for naming and shaming states that may have dubious human rights records. The question remains as to whether or not the shaming of these host states by international groups effectively changes a state’s behavior. This paper argues that states facing increased global media attention while hosting an event are likely to substitute repression of physical integrity rights with repression of civil and political rights in an effort to maintain favorable appearances internationally. However, I find support for both physical and expressive rights improving in states when shaming is conditioned on the selection to host an international sporting event.

Leveraging the World Cup: Mega Sporting Events, Human Rights Risk, and Worker Welfare Reform in Qatar

Qatar will realize its decades-long drive to host a mega sporting event when, in 2022, the opening ceremony of the Fέdέration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup commences. By t...

The sex ratio at birth in South Africa increased 9 months after the 2010 FIFA World Cup

IntroductionIn humans in the absence of significant stress the sex ratio at birth [males/(males+females)] is in favor of more male than female live births. MethodsThis study sought to determine the influence of the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in South Africa on the sex ratio at birth in that country specifically 9months afterwards. Publicly available data from Statistics South Africa was utilized detailing recorded live births. Analysis was carried out by Chi-squared tests. ResultsFebruary and March 2011 about 9months after the World Cup, had the highest observed sex ratio at birth (relatively more male births) of 0.5063 for the period 2003 to 2012. The observed sex ratio at birth in the considered two months of 2011 was 0.63% (p=0.02) greater than the sex ratio at birth for corresponding periods from 2008 to 2012. The increase noted in 2011 corresponds to more than 1000 extra male births than expected for February and March 2011. ConclusionThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was followed about 9months afterwards by a significant increase in the sex ratio at birth. The main mechanism driving the observed increase in the sex ratio at birth in South Africa is most likely more frequent sexual intercourse at population level during the tournament.

Social Media, Futbol, and Crisis: An exploratory case study examining the FIFA World Cup addressing player concussions

Social media strategies and practices continue to be integrated across various athletic sports, particularly futbol. One of the recent global athletic events that occurred where social media played an important role was the 2014 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup in Brazil. While social media brings forth great opportunities for teams to engage with fans and share real-time updates, it also allows active fans to voice concerns around particular issues like player safety i.e. concussions, which could lead to a crisis situation. This particular incident in question involved futbol player Christoph Kramer, who suffered a blow to the head that left him slumped over during the Germany versus Argentina championship match. Fans are linking the lack of concern for player safety to the FIFA brand, making an outcry for protocol to be adapted to tackle the growing issue surrounding players who have suffered from concussions. The FIFA organization waited until September 9, 2014 to address the public and provide a plan for future occurrences of this kind. Based on the theoretical framework of Coombs’ Situational Crisis Communication Theory, the FIFA commission did not properly assessing the crisis at hand and actually implemented the denial posture of crisis response instead of taking proactive actions to address this situation with their stakeholders.

Remote Content Access and the Rise of the Second Screen

Technological advances are allowing operators, editors, and producers to remotely access media production servers for content editing and repackaging for distribution and archiving—in realtime, anywhere in the world. Advanced remote production gives unprecedented capability to work remotely, enhance content on the fly, and deliver original content to viewers' second screens. This paper analyzes the technology, challenges, results, and opportunities behind new capabilities that are changing the media landscape. Real-world examples, including multimedia distribution for the 2014 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup—delivering live streams, multiangle clips, stats, and social network feeds to viewers' connected screens through broadcaster applications (apps)—are explored. The complex World Cup workflow, encompassing live streaming of six high-definition camera angles and up to 24 multiangle replays, instantly pushed to a central cloud-based platform with access to 3000 hr of stored content, on-the-go transcoding, and distribution to FIFA's media rights licensees, drives an estimated 50 million downloaded apps.

Hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup: opportunities and challenges for Qatar

The paper is concerned with the role of sports events and their significance for tourism. It presents an empirical case study of the Gulf State of Qatar and its hosting of the 2022 football World Cup. Such sports events are recognised as a tourism resource with the power to attract large numbers of visitors and enhance destination image thereby justifying a place in tourism development and economic diversification strategies. They serve additional purposes related to national branding and foreign relations as Qatar is actively seeking greater engagement with the international community. The country is investing heavily in its sports infrastructure, events programme and tourism in pursuit of favourable returns including social benefits for citizens. Success is not guaranteed and there may be undesirable outcomes from event hosting. The distinctive qualities of the place and prevailing conditions shape official motivations and give rise to opportunities, but also challenges in implementing ambitious plans and achieving objectives. Insights are thus afforded into the underlying agendas, practice and repercussions of sports events tourism as their reach is extended into the Middle East through Qatar's preparations for the 2022 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup.

Health and safety issues for travelers attending the World Cup and Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brazil, 2014 to 2016.

Travelers from around the globe will attend the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brazil. Travelers to these mass gathering events may be exposed to a range of health risks, including a variety of infectious diseases. Most travelers who become ill will present to their primary care physicians, and thus it is important that clinicians are aware of the risks their patients encountered. To highlight health and safety concerns for people traveling to these events in Brazil so that health care practitioners can better prepare travelers before they travel and more effectively diagnose and treat travelers after they return. We reviewed both peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify health outcomes associated with travel to Brazil and mass gatherings. Thirteen specific infectious diseases are described in terms of signs, symptoms, and treatment. Relevant safety and security concerns are also discussed. Travelers to Brazil for mass gathering events face unique health risks associated with their travel. Travelers should consult a health care practitioner 4 to 6 weeks before travel to Brazil and seek up-to-date information regarding their specific itineraries. For the most up-to-date information, health care practitioners can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travelers' Health website (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel) or review CDC's Yellow Book online (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/yellowbook-home-2014).

Hospital preparedness in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Regardless of the capacity of the health care system of the host nation, mass gatherings require special planning and preparedness efforts within the health system. Brazil will host the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. This paper represents the first results from Project "Prepara Brasil," which is investigating the preparedness of the health sector and pharmaceutical services for these events. Hypothesis/Problem This study was designed to identify the efforts engaged in to prepare the health sector in Brazil for the FIFA World Cup 2014 event, as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics. Key informant interviews were conducted with representatives of both the municipality and hospital sectors in each of the 12 host cities where matches will be played. A semi-structured key informant interview guide was developed, with sections for each type of participant. One of each municipality's reference hospitals was identified and seven additional general hospitals were randomly selected from all of the inpatient facilities in each municipality. The interviewers were instructed to contact a reference hospital, and two of the other hospitals, in the jurisdiction for participation in the study. Questions were asked about plans for mass-gathering events, the interaction between hospitals and government officials in preparation for the World Cup, and their perceptions of their surge capacity to meet the potential demands generated by the presence of the World Cup events in their municipalities. In all, 11 representatives of the sampled reference hospitals, and 24 representatives of other general private and public hospitals in the municipalities, were interviewed. Most of the hospitals had some interaction with government officials in preparation for the World Cup 2014. Approximately one-third (34%) received training activities from the government. Fifty-four percent (54%) of hospitals had no specific plans for communicating with the government or other agencies during the World Cup. Approximately half (51%) had plans for surge capacity during the event, but only 27% had any surge capacity for isolation of potentially infectious patients. Overall, although there has been mention of a great deal of planning on the part of the government officials for the World Cup 2014, hospital surge to meet the potential increase in demand still falls short.

Remembering the 2006 Football World Cup in Germany: Epistemic and social consequences of perceived memory sharedness

According to shared-reality theory, the sharing of memories satisfies the need for confident knowledge (an epistemic consequence) and belongingness (a social-affiliative consequence). In two experiments, German participants remembered a public event with collective importance—the 2006 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in Germany. We examined whether inducing perceptions of sharedness increases confidence in one’s memory of the event (an epistemic consequence) and social identification with the national group (an affiliative consequence). Because episodic, but not semantic, memories entail the reconstruction of the social context of the original experience, they should elicit feelings of shared relevance to a greater extent than do semantic memories. Consistent with our rationale, memory confidence, perceptions of shared relevance, and identification with Germany were enhanced after participants recalled episodic (vs semantic) memories regarding the World Cup. In Experiment 2, we added a more direct manipulation of perceived sharedness: participants were asked to think about people with similar (vs dissimilar) memories. We found that memory confidence, perceptions of shared relevance, and identification with Germany were greater in the high sharedness conditions. In both experiments, the effects on memory confidence and identification were mediated by perceived shared relevance. Overall, the findings demonstrate important cognitive and social consequences of collective memory.

Megaeventos: uma estratégia de atração turística?

Os megaeventos têm sido reconhecidos como elementos dos mais dinâmicos para o incremento do turismo em localidades ou países. O objetivo do presente artigo foi o de investigar como a produção de megaeventos, associada a relações internacionais, pode contribuir para a promoção da imagem dos países que os sediam, potencializando a atratividade turística internacional. Como base teórica referencial utilizou-se a Copa do Mundo de Futebol da FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Em sua construção se fez uso de pesquisa exploratória baseada em publicações impressas e em sítios eletrônicos. Como resultado verificou-se que os megaeventos podem contribuir para a promoção da imagem dos países que os sediam, potencializando a atratividade turística internacional.

Emergency department volumes and "mass events"

When it comes to events that can occupy much of a country, sports largely dominate. On a global level, soccer is probably the best example. There have been sporadic reports of the timing of emergency department (ED) visits in regard to sporting events such as the Super Bowl, but soccer tournaments can consume an entire month. How should an institution plan to staff an ED in the course of such a hugely time-consuming mass gathering? Some fascinating data are provided in the current issue of The Journal by Levin et al, based on the 2010 Soccer World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. During the 31 days of this tournament, there were one-third less pediatric injuries seen in EDs than in the weeks prior or after, and less than the similar period in the previous two years. Mortality was not affected. The greatest reduction in injury visits occurred during the conduct of individual matches, with a slight spike after they were completed. In addition to providing some insights into the epidemiology of accidental injuries in children, these data may inform staffing patterns for pediatric trauma services in areas in which such events are taking place. Article page 306▶ Impact of the 2010 FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup on Pediatric Injury and Mortality in Cape Town, South AfricaThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 164Issue 2PreviewTo examine how a mass-gathering event (the Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup, 2010, South Africa) impacts trauma and mortality in the pediatric (≤18 years) population. Full-Text PDF

Sports mega-events (2002-2010) and Italian TV audiences. Inside an emerging social configuration: The SMS triangle

In the last decades a new social structure emerged in many European and Western societies: the SMS triangle; it is shaped by relationships of dependence and interdependence among Sports, Media, and Sponsor companies. This paper offers theoretical and empirical observations about this new social configuration, using some findings about its dynamic centre: the TV audiences of sports mega-events, such as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cups, and the Olympics and Paralympics (2002-2010) – and in one country: Italy. These findings corroborate the known differences in exposition to these sports mega-events, and also show surprising exceptions, such as the Eris Effect in the female choices. Furthermore, these findings also corroborate the hypothesis of the sports subcultures in Italy.

Impact of the 2010 FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup on Pediatric Injury and Mortality in Cape Town, South Africa

To examine how a mass-gathering event (the Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup, 2010, South Africa) impacts trauma and mortality in the pediatric (≤ 18 years) population. We investigated pediatric emergency visits at Cape Town's 3 largest public trauma centers and 3 private hospital groups, as well as deaths investigated by the 3 city mortuaries. We compared the 31 days of World Cup with equivalent periods from 2007-2009, and with the 2 weeks before and after the event. We also looked at the World Cup period in isolation and compared days with and without games in Cape Town. There was significantly decreased pediatric trauma volume during the World Cup, approximately 2/100,000 (37%) fewer injuries per day, compared with 2009 and to both pre- and post-World Cup control periods (P < .001). This decrease occurred within a majority of injury subtypes, but did not change mortality. There were temporal fluctuations in emergency visits corresponding with local match start time, with fewer all-cause emergency visits during the 5 hours surrounding this time (-16.4%, P = .01), followed by a subsequent spike (+26.2%, P = .02). There was an increase in trauma 12 hours following matches (+15.6%, P = .06). In Cape Town, during the 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup, there were fewer emergency department visits for traumatic injury. Furthermore, there were fewer all-cause pediatric emergency department visits during hometown matches. These results will assist in planning for future mass-gathering events.

Transporting 2014 FIFA World Cup to sustainability: exploring residents’ and tourists’ attitudes and behaviours

The forthcoming 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup (FWC) in Brazil provides an opportunity to invest in an efficient public transport (PT) system, whose benefits will extend beyond the event. Moreover, the FWC is a potential powerful force to promote a change in travel behaviour of both residents and tourists. However, the challenges are considerable. Research on mobility and travel behaviour at mega-events is still in its infancy and there is a general lack of baseline data and quantitative studies. Here, we address this shortfall by surveying attitudes and travel behaviour of tourists and residents in the Brazilian city of Manaus, a host city for the 2014 FWC. Our results suggest that in addition to the availability of information about PT, perceptions of ‘travel time’ and ‘convenience’ influence attitudes and may be important targets for promoting behavioural change. These results highlight the importance of providing good access to clearly targeted information on sustainable travel options. More generally, we demonstrate that successful development of sustainable mobility for mega-events must carefully align with local attitudes and behaviours.

Drivers behind corporate social responsibility in the professional football sector: a case study of the German Bundesliga

This article presents a case study of corporate social responsibility in one major European professional football league. An empirical analysis of the German Bundesliga investigates the social and environmental measures that were implemented by the 18 clubs and discusses their impact and the drivers behind them. Common examples for social initiatives are regional operating foundations and school projects. Societal drivers such as re-establishing local roots and serving as a model for society as well as economic motives such as strengthening customer retention and capturing sponsors’ interest were identified. The comprehensive climate protection initiatives such as photovoltaic plants and environmental management systems in German stadiums might be unique in European professional sport. The main reasons are political factors such as a favourable legislative framework for renewable energies and the Green Goal programmes for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cups in 2006 (men) and 2011 (women) in Germany.

The power of sport to unite a nation: the social value of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

For a number of years, economists have questioned the aggregate economic value of mega sporting events, arguing that fiduciary benefits rarely materialize for host cities and/or nations. In response, governments have made stronger claims about social impacts derived from such events [e.g., Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, Olympic Games, etc.]. Applying social identity and social capital theories, we examined the influence of national identity on social capital and tested whether the 2010 FIFA World Cup positively influenced the national identity of South African residents. Residents (N=3769) from five World Cup host cities in South Africa were sampled before and after the event, using a pre-experimental design consisting of a one-group pretest–posttest protocol (O–X–O). The results demonstrated that: (1) national identity was a statistically significant (albeit modest) predictor of social capital, and (2) the World Cup minimally influenced the varying components of resident national identity, both negative and positive.

Can the FIFA World Cup Football (Soccer) Tournament Be Associated with an Increase in Domestic Abuse?

Objectives: This study aims to establish whether empirical evidence exists to support the anecdotal view that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association world cup football (soccer) tournament can be associated with a rise in reported domestic abuse incidents, when viewed remotely via television. Method: A quantitative analysis, using Poisson and negative binomial regression models looked at monthly and daily domestic abuse incidents reported to a police force in the North West of England across three separate tournaments (2002, 2006, and 2010). Results: The study found two statistically significant trends. First, a match day trend showed the risk of domestic abuse rose by 26 percent when the English national team won or drew, and a 38 percent increase when the national team lost. Second, a tournament trend was apparent, as reported domestic abuse incidents increased in frequency with each new tournament. Conclusion: Although this is a relatively small study, it has significant ramifications due to the global nature of televised football (soccer) tournaments. If replicated, it presents significant opportunities to identify and reduce incidents of domestic abuse associated with televised soccer games.

Mood Effects of Televised Sports Events

Television viewers attend to sports programs primarily to gain emotional rewards. As not only wins but also defeats are inherently rooted in sport competitions, television viewers can be positively as well as negatively affected in their feelings when watching sports on television. Interestingly, some studies were able to show that the feelings evoked by watching sport television also influence viewers’ judgments, following feeling-as-information theory. The present study builds on these results by investigating the mood effect of viewing televised football Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup games on personal as well as economic estimations of viewers. A quasi-experimental design was employed, assessing the moods and estimations of viewers before and after a win and a defeat of the German national team. The results support feeling-as-information theory, as viewers reported enhanced mood and estimations after watching the victory. Results of previous studies are extended, as longer term effects are included and the mediating role of mood was explicitly tested and supported.