By Sharad KC

Football, or soccer as Americans call it, is one of the most addictive sporting activities in the history of mankind. Like most of the kids of my generation, I was no exception to the lure of the beautiful game. Within a matter of days I was playing it, watching it, and most importantly, understanding it. Over the years, football has meant more to me than just the action on the field.

Today, football has a huge impact on the world economy. It has helped us bring various social issues to light and created a powerful organization known as FIFA that can change government laws in a matter of days. The recent World Cup in Brazil is a perfect example of the broader impact of football. Social issues such as racism and government spending have been highlighted. In this satirical piece from John Oliver, he presents the various problems with a tournament such as World Cup along with FIFA, the international governing body for football. It also addresses the corruption scandals so rampant within the organization.

In addition, FIFA along with the host nation Qatar for the 2022 World Cup has been under scrutiny for ill treatment of workers, mostly from South Asia. This article from Slate states that terrible working conditions have resulted in the sudden death of hundreds of workers already. Red flagged by many as the 21st century slavery, there is much attention needed towards various impacts of football today. Hence, if we are to make this sporting activity a truly beautiful one, there is much to be done outside of the football field. As for the in-field performance of the current World Cup, I’m very happy with what I’ve seen so far!