Africa's place in the international football system : why South Africa received the 2010 FIFA World Cup

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: For millions of people around the globe, football is an important part of every-day life.Similarly, many African governments have found in international football competitions one ofthe few opportunities to be internationally represented. Furthermore, through successfulparticipation of their respective national football sides, they internally seek to fosternationhood. In fact, football is an integral part of African self-esteem with regards to beingrecognised by the rest of the world. However, to succeed in international sports means tosucceed in a politico-economic structure far from equality and general solidarity. This thesisgoes about the question why South Africa received the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Thereby it willdistinguish the position of the African continent within the international football system.This mega sport event which takes place every four years receives global attention. Fora nation to be chosen by the world football body FIFA to host this event elevates a nation toan equal participant in the international community. Particularly because hosting this event iswidely demanded by governments, it was of immense significance that Africa, a continentwith the stigma of being backward and 'underdeveloped', was named as a FIFA World Cuphost for 2010. Thus, what this thesis needs to answer is how Africa overcame the stigma ofbackwardness. This regards the system of international football which is itself embeddedwithin the general system of international social interaction. Thus, this thesis is to make clearthe variables of the international football system in association with the overarching socialsystem. A historical analysis will clarify the processes and actors as well as the drivingmotivations which led to the FIFA World Cup host decision in favour of the Africancontinent.The outcome of this study suggests that social interaction is driven by the interplay oftwo variables: normative principles and economic practices. The historical development ofmodem social behaviour from the 161h century until today's global capitalism surely reflectsthe interplay of these two traits. At the hand of the historical development of the internationalfootball system this thesis is going to outline this interplayas a European form of behaviourthat came to encapsulate all social relations on the globe particularly by the spread of thecultural practice of football. This study reaches the overall conclusion that the decision to letan African nation host the FIFA World Cup meant that economic practice and normativeprinciples were brought into perceived congruence. At the specific moment in time thedecision was made, FIFA diplomacy came to recapture its character of a body that acts 'fair'and 'for the good of the game'. However, this outcome came about by mediation betweenclashing self-interests, with South Africa being able to finally succeed. Importantly, thisappeasement was a success by the African continent as a whole only in symbolic terms. Ineconomic terms, it was a South African achievement and, thus, the expression of SouthAfrica's self-interest. Obviously, football is an important element in the submission andgeneral acceptance of the dialectic value-system from which social orders and hierarchies arederived and by which they are maintained in our capitalist (and global) world-economy.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University