“As the temperature begins to drop”. November Module Report from the 18th Edition FIFA Master Class

As the temperature begins to drop and the days get shorter and shorter here in Leicester, we have managed to keep our spirits high with a round the world look at the Internationalisation of Sport with Professor Pierre Lanfranchi. Within this module, we have explored topics ranging from African and Asian football, racism and the history of the IOC and FIFA.

This was followed by an insightful week of presenting about sport in our home countries which deepened our understanding of the role sport plays for different nationalities around the world. A particular highlight was learning about the national gymnastics routine of school children in South Korea.   

Yet again, we were extremely fortunate to have the pleasure of welcoming many inspirational guest speakers to the class. Learning about the process of hosting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar presented by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy was a particular favourite of ours. We are also thankful for the continuous support of the FIFA Master Alumni who have shared their experiences with our class.

The field visits have continued to inspire and broaden our knowledge on certain sports such as cricket, where we were lucky enough to visit Lords. It was the first time several of the class had stepped foot inside a cricket ground, which was then followed later that day by a trip to Harlequins Rugby FC.The field visits have also included an overnight stay in Bolton in between our visits to Manchester City FC and the Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA) where we were warmly welcomed by Gordon Taylor OBE, the Chief Executive of the PFA.

It is hard to believe that there are only a few more weeks left of the Humanities of Sport module in Leicester. It only feels like yesterday when we first met the Scientific Committee in Trinity Chapel, with the class giving the longest individual introductions of the past eighteen editions! We will soon meet the members of the Committee again to present our Final Project  topic proposals to them. This is a process for which we have been continuously working on in our groups during the month of November.

Yosuke Kotaki and Sinéad Dowling

Class Representatives

The FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport is organized by the CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (Leicester, UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan, Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel. In 2017 the FIFA Master was ranked as the No.1 course in Europe for the fifth time by the SportBusiness International global rankings.