'The 1978 World Cup and human rights: What sportspeople think', Analysis by Kiran Gill, University of Warwick

 

‘The 1978 World Cup and human rights: What sportspeople think’, 17 May 1978

https://mrc.epexio.com/records/AMI/1/3/9/26

In the archive of Amnesty International, University of Warwick, Modern Records Centre document reference: MSS.34/4/1/AR27

 

Sportswashing is the act of using sport by a nation state or organisation in order to improve or repair their reputation and to present a more sanitised image to the world. This can include corporate sponsorships, the purchasing of a team or the hosting of a sporting event. This term is relatively new but the practice of sports washing stretches far back with notable examples being the 1930 Summer Berlin Olympics and more recently the acquisition of Newcastle F.C. by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Here I will be focusing on the hosting of the 1978 World Cup by Argentina in order to present Argentina as a peaceful nation during an increasingly oppressive and violent regime led by the military junta under the helm of President General Videla. The military junta launched a coup on the 24 March 1976 deposing the previous President Isabel Peron. The country had been in severe economic decline, political turmoil and violence produced by clashes between left-wing guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitary groups. This climate of violence did not dissipate under Videla, instead increased with reports that between 15,000 and 30,000 people had ‘disappeared’. Various human rights organisations had come out in support in Argentina and a larger transnational solidarity movement had emerged especially in Europe. The military junta used the event of the World Cup to present an image of a peaceful state. Documents in the Trades Unions Congress and Amnesty International Archives in the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick provide an insight into both ‘sportswashing’ on the part of the junta and the nature of the transnational solidarity movement and the steps that Amnesty International and Trades Unions took to place pressure on the regime, which only collapsed after the defeat in the Falkland or Malvinas conflict in 1984.

President Videla wanted to use hosting of the 1978 World Cup to establish a sense of national unity, togetherness, and consensus to ensure effective control. Football had been used before to raise morale across the world but the importance of the game in Argentina was woven into the cultural fabric of the country. Sports were important to the Peronist Party from the 1940s with much money being invested into facilities and programmes which helped to strengthen the community and this sort of thinking was applied with regards to the 1978 World Cup. The military junta also aimed to use the event to demonstrate to the world that Argentina was a stable and peaceful nation in the face of all the allegations of human rights abuses with the growing list of ‘disappeared’ individuals.

A large, international solidarity movement emerged to oppose the atrocities. Amnesty International were involved and Trade Union Organisations came out in solidarity. A 17 May 1978 document created and shared by Amnesty International, entitled ‘The 1978 World Cup and Human Rights: What Sportspeople Think’ included the thoughts of individuals in Argentina and abroad on the military dictatorship, the human rights abuses and the decision to host the World Cup in Argentina. The document provides and insight into both the aims of the regime and the international response. It includes an excerpt from a report by a US public relations firm hired by the Argentine government, Burson-Marsteller. The report mentions the efforts made to ‘help put Argentinian reality in its correct perspective’ whilst simultaneously talking about their role to generate favourable press coverage by ‘building a system of infiltration in the leading newspapers and magazines’ which seems to suggest attempts to fabricate an image of Argentina that will be favourable to the world and counteract the allegations of abuse rather than letting the reality show. This document from AI is for public reading and including information such as this helps those removed from the situation to see efforts made by the Argentinian government to manipulate their image using this major sporting event.

The document also helps to drive home the fact that sports and politics in this case cannot be separated from politics and that individuals cannot turn a blind eye to the human rights abuses of Argentine citizens. Italian National football player Agostino di Bartolomei, echoes this sentiment in the document where he mentions ‘Football is beautiful jungle where you can live hidden, where important things are goals and the rest doesn’t count’ but uses that analogy to warn fellow sportspeople and fans of the danger of looking the other way when the Argentinian people are in need of help and that you cannot remain hidden in the jungle of football. Former German international football player, Paul Breitner, emphasised the point that the World Cup should not be boycotted as a form of protest but instead players could act in other ways such as refusing to meet with Argentinian generals which would have made a greater demonstration. Boycotting the World cup was a key debate at the time but Breitner, argued that the games should have been used to highlight and bring attention to the situation and it would have a greater impact along with players speaking out than to shut down the event.

Image from a booklet produced for the 1978 World Cup (football) in Argentina by Montonero Peronist Movement in the Trade Union Branch Iron and Steel Trades Confederation Archive, Argentina: British Argentina Campaign and human rights in Argentina, 1978-1982, University of Warwick, Modern Records Centre MSS.36/2000/99

 

Kiran Gill, University of Warwick