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Khristian Nascimento
Werner
English Comp
25, Oct. 2015

The link Between Soccer and Politics

The article The Corrupt Rhetoric of the FIFA Scandal written by Kenan Malik, has a
specific audience that the article is trying to reach. The whole article is about the corruption of
FIFA and the history of the corruption in soccer, but it delves how soccer became so intertwined
with Politics and how the political landscape was changed over the years by the rise of FIFA and
international soccer. The two main audiences for this article are soccer fans and people who
enjoy politics.

In the article, Malik claims that to answer the question of how politics and soccer became
so intertwined We need to understand how soccer and politics have changed in recent decades.
In the article Malik goes on to briefly summarize the history of FIFA. How it began in 1904 and
how after world war II there was major expansion in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. He then
proceeds to get into the beginning details of the FIFA corruption beginning with the election of
Joao Havelange. Malik presents the good and bad of Havelange and his 24 year presidency.
Havelange transformed the organization But Mr. Havelange was also dogged during his 24
year presidency by allegations of corruption. Later after the summarizing of the history of
soccer and FIFA Malik states that The debate over FIFA suggests that sport today has come not
to reflect politics, but also, in some sense, to substitute for it. The article contains a plethora of
information on FIFA so the audience is for sure soccer fans.

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He wrote to political readers by bringing in quotes of people saying that like other world
conflicts the USA took on the burden of maintaining the liberal world order like it did with
other tinpot dictators it overthrows every decade or so. Malik claims the US is dong with FIFA
as it has done with all other threats in the world. Bringing the same tactic used in the political
landscape into the world of sports, and mainly soccer. Because so much of the article is focused
on how politics has changed, and is now fought through the world of soccer, this draws in
political readers to enjoy the article as well.

Maliks audience is Soccer fans and Political readers. Throughout the article Malik
explains the soccer and political landscapes. He goes through explaining the origins of FIFA and
where Corruption in the Corporation started. Then he goes on to explain the USA and how it
deals with global politics, comparing the USAs crusade against FIFA to the USA taking out
dictators worldwide out of power. He brings soccer and political readers into enjoying one
article.