World Leaders / Soccer Fans

To many world leaders, soccer, and indeed all sports, are a distraction from the “real” business of governing the world. But some of the most powerful current and former leaders have also been, like millions they represent, soccer fans. A sampling of some world leaders who are also soccer fans.

When Evo Morales was elected president of Bolivia in 2005, he promised to be a different kind of leader. As the first indigenous president of a country whose population is over 50% Indian, Morales said he would govern for those who had been ignored. Morales’s style has differed from that of his predecessors, he wears traditional Bolivian sweaters to formal events with other world leaders. Morales is perhaps unique in the lofty heights of world power in that he continues to play soccer. Playing soccer on his local team, the Bolivian leader has suffered injuries, such as in 2006, when he had his nose broken by an opponent.

What position does Evo Morales play? I’m guessing he’s a left winger.

Bolivia’s neighbor also has a soccer fan installed as its leader. Argentina’s Nestor Kirchner is a fan of Racing Club de Avellaneda. Interestingly, his wife Cristina Fernandez, whom some think may try to take over from her husband, is known to be a fan of Gimanasia de la Plata. A Soccernet article last year talked of the Kirchners receiving Juan Sebastian Verón on his return to Argentina, despite the fact that La Brujita would be playing for Gimnasia’s city rivals, Estudiantes de la Plata.

Italy’s former prime minster, Silvio Berlusconi, was able to rise to the highest office in the land largely because of his soccer connections. Berlusconi rose to fame in Italy as president of AC Milan and used this name recognition to launch himself into political office. Running in the Forza Italia party (a name which literally means “Go Italy”) previously connected to national team supporters, Berlusconi ran Italy from 2001 - 2006. While in office, some questioned whether Berlusconi’s dual role as prime minister and president of AC Milan was a conflict of interest.

China’s current leader Hu Jintao has no apparent interest in soccer, but Premier Wen Jiabao (#3 in the country’s political hierarchy) claims to be a fan. In the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup, Wen told German chancellor Angela Merkel “China has a massive number of football fans who will stay up to watch the matches (with the six-hour time difference), and I’m one of them.” Merkel also claimed to like soccer, even saying she “had arranged her schedule so that she could watch any match Germany plays, including the final.” Yeah, shame about that.

Occasionally, a world leader’s interest in soccer has gotten him in trouble. After being elected in a shock result in 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got his country’s soccer program suspended from FIFA for allegedly installing his own people into positions at the Iranian FA. Though Ahmadinejad denied the charge, FIFA suspended Iran from international play for nearly a month in late 2005 until the apparent government interference into Iran’s FA (a big no-no in FIFA’s eyes) was stopped.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually looks like he knows what he’s doing (in soccer, that is)

These leaders appear to be genuine fans of soccer, though they are forced to share company with those who use the sport merely for their own political gain. Tony Blair, for example, claims to be a Newcastle United supporter, but as the blog Liberal England shows, his devotion is probably not genuine. And anyone who has seen Blair attempt to play soccer knows he was never likely to play in the Premier League (then again, Newcastle is pretty poor this year).

Glenn Roeder, he’s out of a job soon, sign him up!

There is perhaps no better way for a politician to be seen as a man (or woman) of the people in most of the world than to claim interest in soccer. But doing so when one lacks interest in or knowledge of the game is simply another way in which a politician can confirm people’s worst suspicions about their leaders being disingenuous. Perhaps other world leaders should take their cues from George Bush (did I really just write that?). The self-styled cowboy leader said in 2006 about his fellow Americans: “[A] lot of us grew up not knowing anything about soccer, like me. I never saw soccer as a young boy. We didn’t play it where I was from. It just didn’t exist.”

Hey kids, what sport do y’all play again?

Know of any other world leaders who are soccer fans? Please leave a comment and let me know.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 20th, 2007 at 7:14 am and is filed under Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, Politics, UK. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.