Research Project on the Role of the Asian Football Confederation in the Governance and Development of Football in Asia

Researcher at IESF:
Ben Weinberg, M.A.

Period of research:
2010 – 2013

Fundings: German Sport University Cologne
    
Contents of the project:
The focus of this study is on the question, which role the Asian Football Confederation holds in the governance and development of Asian football. The study relies on concepts of globalisation and governance and theories of institutionalism in order to created theory-based hypotheses concerning the role of the AFC. Within the framework of the classical three-partisan notion of ‘polity‘, ‘politics‘ and ‘policy‘ the AFC as an organisation, as well as its institutions and individual actors within their respective decision-making processes and the content and output of their politics are to be analysed. The study shall be conducted through the examination of official documents, press sources and relevant data from interviews with experts.
The study aims at describing and explaining a sport-political pattern for trans-nationally acting umbrella organisations, such as the AFC, in relation with a multi-level structure of sporting infrastructure on local, regional and national levels. This shall be complemented by the theory-orientated goal to investigate the potential of concepts of globalisation and governance and theories of institutionalism for the research of sport politics.

Publication:
Ben Weinberg: The Future is Asia? The Role of the Asian Football Confederation in the Governance and Development of Football in Asia, In: The International Journal of the History of Sport 4 (2012), pp. 535-552.