ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to explore the political and business dynamics of football in West Asia. Football is at the heart of competition between countries in the region for leadership in sport performance and business of sport. The rivalry with regard to who should lead football in the region reaches its climax during the election of the new president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Football is also a mirror of the political tension, particularly the complex relationship between Iran and countries in the Arabian Peninsula, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the current political instability in the region which has spilled over onto the football pitch, particularly in Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Bahrain. Last and not least, football is another market to conquer, to diversify states’ revenues, to consolidate ‘soft power’ and to promote place branding.
