What Is Fifa For?

Alan Tomlinson (University of Brighton)

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Bristol University Press
31 March 2026

Political corruption; Business ethics; Sport & the law; Football (Soccer, Association football); World Cup

Series: What Is It For?

A wide-ranging look at football's powerful but controversial governing body.

Football is the world's most popular sport and truly a global phenomenon. As a result, it attracts huge sums of money from its advertisers, sponsors and broadcasters, including FIFA, the sport's international governing body. So, given its decidedly chequered history, the question of what FIFA is for is crucial to the game's future.

Examining the organisation's successes such as the explosion of interest in the women's game, alongside its failures and continuing crises over corruption and ethics, Alan Tomlinson asks: what will it take for FIFA to truly live up to its own mission of integrity, fair play and accessibility?

By: Alan Tomlinson (University of Brighton)
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 127mm,
ISBN: 9781529245745
ISBN 10: 1529245745
Series: What Is It For?
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 31 March 2026
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Further / Higher Education , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Alan Tomlinson is Emeritus Professor of Leisure Studies at the University of Brighton UK and a pioneer of critical sport and leisure research, blending cultural studies with investigative and in-the-field research. He has been writing about FIFA since the big money started to flow in the 1980s and has written extensively on sport and leisure themes.

Reviews for What Is Fifa For?

“FIFA sets the rules of the game but, in today’s commercialised environment, it does much more besides. This book asks: should it?” Stephen Weatherill, University of Oxford “I have been reading Alan Tomlinson for over twenty years. This new work is well-researched, insightful and a testimony to the troubles that unfortunately still exist in sport today.” Steven Berryman, sports corruption investigator “FIFA sets the rules of the game but, in today’s commercialised environment, it does much more besides. This book asks: should it?” Stephen Weatherill, University of Oxford ""A compelling and timely exploration of football’s most influential governing body. Professor Alan Tomlinson brings his unparalleled expertise and investigative acumen to deliver a rigorous, balanced and insightful analysis, to unpack FIFA’s political dynamics, commercial strategies, and persistent challenges around corruption and ethics. This book asks the hard questions about integrity, fair play, and accessibility, making it essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of football."" Louise Mansfield, Brunel University of London