The influence of the world’s most popular game is not confined to the pitch. Whilst the game itself has grown and evolved over the years, it is its influence beyond the stadia that is perhaps the most impressive thing about it. Credited with revolutionising sports betting, preventing civil wars and battling prejudice, football is so much more than twenty two men kicking a ball around on a Saturday afternoon.
Tune into any football match, hear the whistle blown, and you will see all of the players ‘take the knee’ in support of the eradication of racism in the game and beyond. Whilst politicians from around the world seem to struggle to find the right words, football players allow their actions to speak. They are the role models and it is they who can, have, and will change the world’s attitude to diversity.
Football also has a huge influence on how we bet, and it has opened a whole new world of excitement and possibilities. The mass appeal of football means that bookies are keen and quick to offer top odds and deals. There is also the world of in-game betting to explore and the widespread popularity of the game means that the power has been transferred to your fingertips as you are able to design your own bets and odds. No sport has been more influential in the world of sports betting than football and now online platforms have a world of football betting tips to maximise your chances.
With a successful footballing career comes fame and fortune. Many players have given their time and money to help projects in the UK and across the world. Players like Pele and Salah are some of the most influential figures in their home countries and have made significant changes and improvements for their people. They have helped to establish human rights and to fight poverty.
When times are hardest, when people are living in the toughest of circumstances, it is football that offers solace and unity. In the trenches it provided troops with a way to escape the tortures of war, if only for a moment, as they played football on Christmas day. On Robben Island, the prisoners were under the refereeing rule of Patrick Zuma in the league they created as they played with nets made out of flotsam.
There is no greater moment in the relationship between football and the world than the day Didier Drogba, the Ivorian Coast’s King of Football, called upon his nation to put down their weapons and work for peace. The country’s politicians listened to the Chelsea man and he is credited with preventing a civil war from breaking out. It just goes to show that there is no greater power than the beautiful game. To some it may simply be ‘just a game’ to millions around the world it is the game changer.
Race, religion, gender, there are many things that men allow to separate them, but the one thing that always unites us is the beautiful game. A game that has power like no other and has captured the hearts of millions around the world for many years.
Story by George Patient
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AFP
