The Spirit of Football
Has money corrupted the sport of football?
It is a thought which has crossed my mind many times since I captured these photographs of a group of youngsters kicking a football around a dusty clay pitch on the outskirts of Antananarivo, Madagascar, one the poorest cities in the world. With nothing to gain or lose from the experience of playing their match, they laughed, they ran, they fell over and picked themselves up again. Some had boots, most were barefoot, but all played with the passion of youth and when one scored, all celebrated the effort.
I can't help but wonder how their match will contrast against the opening games of the 2022 World Cup, kicking off shortly in Qatar. Hosted by a nation with almost no prior relationship with the sport, at an estimated cost of over $200 billion, in stadiums which had to be air-conditioned due to the blistering heat, against a backdrop of questionable human rights abuses, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is set to become one of the most expensive and controversial football events in history.
Although I don't doubt the joy and excitement the World Cup will bring billions of fans around the world – I am greatly looking forward to watching each nation's finest players compete against each other for the glory of winning the one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world – I do find myself questioning which of these matches encapsulates the true spirit of football?
Money and sport have always been uncomfortable teammates, but in the end, I always felt that sport came first. But this World Cup feels different. This time it feels like the money is leading with sport being left to follow after. Which will win in the end? I don't know. I guess only time will tell.
