An international sports journalism conference at Northwestern Qatar explored the interrelationship between football, journalism, and sports in the Global South ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
International journalists, documentary filmmakers, writers, and radio hosts from South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia joined Northwestern Qatar faculty at Sports Journalism & The 2022 World Cup: Views from the South. Over the course of four-panel discussions, they examined how business, culture, and politics have shaped contemporary conversations about football in the Global South, both on and off the pitch.
In opening remarks, Craig LaMay, professor in residence and director of the Journalism and Strategic Communication Program, said that the conference was a platform for South-to-South discussion about football and its effects on societies in the Global South. “Football in the region has been a locus of anti-colonialism and revolution, democratic aspirations and military dictatorship, and political dissent,” said LaMay. “The point of our conference is to kick around some of the narratives and assumptions about global football in the South and Qatar and its World Cup.”
The conference opened with a panel discussion on football as a global industry and its effect on the Global South. Gerard Akindes, a co-founder of SportsAfrica Network, pointed to how the consolidation of the sports media industry and Canal+’s monopoly on sports rights in Africa weakened local professional games and community football across the continent. “Paid TV captured the attention of Africans by showing European teams and leagues, but [it] didn’t bring money to the ground,” said Akindes. “It slowly took away even the imagination of Africans playing in Africa, and the consequence of that is that those leagues are poorer, and the prospect of enriching football players and coaches with broadcasting is not happening.”
A second panel explored the use of football as a site for political expression and the ways it has enabled solidarities in the Global South. Bağış Erten, production manager at Eurosport Turkey, noted that in politics and sports, the two fields are intrinsically interconnected. “There has always been politics in football; it is not unusual,” he noted.
International journalists, documentary filmmakers, writers, and radio hosts from South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia joined Northwestern Qatar faculty at Sports Journalism & The 2022 World Cup: Views from the South. Over the course of four-panel discussions, they examined how business, culture, and politics have shaped contemporary conversations about football in the Global South, both on and off the pitch.
In opening remarks, Craig LaMay, professor in residence and director of the Journalism and Strategic Communication Program, said that the conference was a platform for South-to-South discussion about football and its effects on societies in the Global South. “Football in the region has been a locus of anti-colonialism and revolution, democratic aspirations and military dictatorship, and political dissent,” said LaMay. “The point of our conference is to kick around some of the narratives and assumptions about global football in the South and Qatar and its World Cup.”
The conference opened with a panel discussion on football as a global industry and its effect on the Global South. Gerard Akindes, a co-founder of SportsAfrica Network, pointed to how the consolidation of the sports media industry and Canal+’s monopoly on sports rights in Africa weakened local professional games and community football across the continent. “Paid TV captured the attention of Africans by showing European teams and leagues, but [it] didn’t bring money to the ground,” said Akindes. “It slowly took away even the imagination of Africans playing in Africa, and the consequence of that is that those leagues are poorer, and the prospect of enriching football players and coaches with broadcasting is not happening.”
A second panel explored the use of football as a site for political expression and the ways it has enabled solidarities in the Global South. Bağış Erten, production manager at Eurosport Turkey, noted that in politics and sports, the two fields are intrinsically interconnected. “There has always been politics in football; it is not unusual,” he noted.
He went on to point out how football has enabled political solidarities across the Global South, pointing to the 2013 Gezi protests in Turkey as an example. These protests, where historically rival clubs came together against government oppression and police brutality, he said, were “a sparkling moment of Turkish history … the brightest moment of Turkish history, especially when we talk about people's politics and solidarity.”
At a panel exploring the relationship between football and Latin American literature and journalism, panelists discussed how poetry, chronicles, and oral histories employed football to mediate North-South power relations in post-colonial South America.
According to Ezequiel Fernández Moores, a columnist at La Nación (Argentina), literature showcases the power of football beyond the pitch and news coverage. “Literature and chronicles help us see football beyond the 22 players on the field and what stories the news doesn’t tell,” he said, highlighting how literary figures in Brazil have drawn on their country’s football history to challenge colonialism and construct a sense of nation for the republic after independence.
The conference concluded with a panel on the politics, coverage, and legacy of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Abdullah Al Arian, associate professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar, said that conversations about the World Cup in Qatar have been through a Global North lens that overlooks the region’s footballing history and culture.
“The West’s coverage completely erases the football culture and history of the region through a series of assumptions that give Europe a certain ownership claim over football globally,” he said, adding that for Qatar and the Global South to claim ownership over these conversations, journalists in the region need to prioritize centering southern narratives and amplifying indigenous voices.
At a panel exploring the relationship between football and Latin American literature and journalism, panelists discussed how poetry, chronicles, and oral histories employed football to mediate North-South power relations in post-colonial South America.
According to Ezequiel Fernández Moores, a columnist at La Nación (Argentina), literature showcases the power of football beyond the pitch and news coverage. “Literature and chronicles help us see football beyond the 22 players on the field and what stories the news doesn’t tell,” he said, highlighting how literary figures in Brazil have drawn on their country’s football history to challenge colonialism and construct a sense of nation for the republic after independence.
The conference concluded with a panel on the politics, coverage, and legacy of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Abdullah Al Arian, associate professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar, said that conversations about the World Cup in Qatar have been through a Global North lens that overlooks the region’s footballing history and culture.
“The West’s coverage completely erases the football culture and history of the region through a series of assumptions that give Europe a certain ownership claim over football globally,” he said, adding that for Qatar and the Global South to claim ownership over these conversations, journalists in the region need to prioritize centering southern narratives and amplifying indigenous voices.
