ABSTRACT
As a popular field of endeavour, sport has always been exploitable for political capital. As modern sport emerged as a commercial enterprise open to entrepreneurs, opportunities for its exploitation by power elites increased. Large sporting events, described as “mega-events” involve large-scale project management of resources comparable to other large-scale public works projects, often involving public infrastructure. We analyse government involvement, aims and objectives relating to two FIFA World Cup finals – 1966 and 2018 – highlighting common and differentiating themes. From government perspectives, these themes broadly relate to issues of achieving popularity amongst large segments of the population, by appealing to common interests and national pride. Therefore, we identify the use of the sporting mega-event as a marketing approach or platform to achieving a populist consensus.
