Football, the people's game, is played by millions and watched by billions.
It is more than just a sport, more than tournaments and trophies, more than big business.
| "Discrimination is not in our game. Discrimination is in the world. We are a mirror of our world, in football. And you have discrimination and you have racism in football. We are fighting against that, but it can only be by solidarity." Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA |
The game can be an engine of conflict or a force for change, transcending borders and cultural backgrounds and forging new affiliations and identities.
Football has become a big-money business, and as football teams soar in value, they have become toys for billionaires.
In 1992, Rupert Murdoch signed a satellite TV deal with the newly-formed Premier League, making him a major force in globalising the game. Earlier this year, the league signed broadcast deals worth some $4bn.
Today, half the Premier League is completely foreign-owned – with US Americans owning five teams.
Manchester City, the 2011-2012 champions of the Premier League, is owned by Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi, who is said to have pumped nearly $1bn into it. Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways paid a fortune to name the stadium. And an Argentinian player the team spent more than $40m to acquire, scored the winning goal of the last season.
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