I have been watching the FIFA World Cup 2022 with interest. As a neutral fan (I’m Irish) I’ve found this tournament entertaining and interesting for a variety of reasons. In over 20 years of working in higher education, and just over 15 of which have been spent at Leeds Trinity University, I have found that the World Cup and other big events provide a great opportunity to engage students in discussions and with research in a variety of areas related to ‘The Beautiful Game’.

Football as a means to reach students

For me, perhaps one of the most important aspects of this and other World Cup events is the ability to find a way to challenge our students to think about sport critically. Sport has often been described as a microcosm of society. It provides us with a means to think about our world and a whole range of social issues from gender, ethnicity, and disability to the rise of commercialism and the growth of celebrity culture.

Over the years I have delivered sessions on these topics, and I find that football is one of the best ‘hooks’ to draw students into a deeper understanding of concepts that may not initially seem as interesting. It is also an opportunity for us in the School of Sport and Wellbeing at Leeds Trinity University to showcase to students and the wider public the research that our staff are involved in. For example, our Professors Mark Russell and Martin Barwood have published a variety of football-related research articles on topics such as thermoregulation and effective match day strategies. It is always rewarding to see our students becoming aware that the research they may use in their essays is often produced by staff that they can work with and aspire to emulate.

Students studying on our BSc in Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation have recently been given a wonderful opportunity to apply their learning in a practical football-based setting thanks to the work of our Senior Lecturer, Ian Blackburn. In arranging a partnership with the Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy (RIASA), our students have been afforded the chance to develop their skills and knowledge with some excellent athletes.

A World Cup of firsts

The current tournament is the first to be hosted in an Arab state and predominately Muslim country and is only the second tournament to be held in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. It is also the first World Cup to be held in what is the Northern Hemisphere’s winter months. The novelty of the timing alone drew me into several debates with friends about the impact on the English Premier League and other competitions with the associated extended break in the middle of the season. Other significant milestones include the fact that history was made with the first all-female team of match officials tasked with supervising the match between Costa Rica and Germany in the opening stages of the competition.

Corruption in football

The tournament has had no shortage of criticisms stretching back as far as the point of awarding the event to Qatar in 2010. That year a double announcement was made to award the 2018 tournament to Russia and the 2022 version to Qatar. These decisions were subject to further criticisms when stories of alleged corruption and bribery started to surface. The World Cup has long been associated with stories regarding corruption in football. More about this aspect of world football is included in the Netflix series ‘FIFA Uncovered’, which I have recommended to students on our sport-related courses as a starting point of exploration.

As the final approaches, I have been able to absorb as much as I can of such a spectacle. Once it is over, we will begin the countdown to the 2026 World Cup in the USA. One thing is for certain: I am sure it will continue to be more than just a game.

Phil McDonald is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Sport and Wellbeing at Leeds Trinity University and Programme Lead for the BSc in Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation.